Justin Fields to replace Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield took a chance on one another last offseason, and it worked out pretty well for both sides.
Mayfield had the best season of his NFL career, and the Bucs won the NFC South for the third year in a row, blowing out the Philadelphia Eagles at home in the first round of the playoffs after many national predictions had them projected to be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Now, Mayfield has earned a long-term extension that far exceeds the incentive-laden one-year deal he signed with the Bucs last year. Both sides have made it clear they’d love to keep a good thing going and have Mayfield return on a new deal, but he’ll have no shortage of other suitors if he hits the open market.
If the Bucs aren’t able to outbid another team in free agency to keep Mayfield as their starting quarterback, Justin Fields could be an intriguing option to replace him.
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The Chicago Bears currently hold the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and all signs point to them selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams. That being the case, they’re expected to trade their current starter in Fields, and it’s likely another team could acquire him for less than a first-round pick.
Fields has been inconsistent since the Bears selected him in the first round a few years ago, but he hasn’t had much to work with for much of that time. His coaching, play-calling, and supporting cast have had a significant impact on his lack of development, and he’s also shown flashes of brilliance that prove there’s still plenty of upside there.
Trading a Day 2 pick for Fields would give the Bucs an experienced starter with tons of upside who is still on a rookie contract. That would give Tampa Bay more salary cap space to keep key players like Mike Evans, who would also help the 24-year-old’s chances of panning out.
It still makes the most sense for Mayfield to return to the Bucs, but if he doesn’t, Fields would present an intriguing fallback option with the upside to be a franchise quarterback of both the present and future.
