Mayfield has long been a player who operates with a huge chip on his shoulder. He bet on himself as a college guy, turning down a small-school opportunity to attend Texas Tech. When former coach Kliff Kingsbury selected Davis Webb over Mayfield as the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback (and with the eventual arrival of Patrick Mahomes looming), Mayfield took another leap of faith by transferring to Oklahoma in 2014 and joining the Sooners as a walk-on.
That risk paid off. Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy and was drafted No. 1 overall by Cleveland in 2018, filling a long-vacant role as the Browns’ quarterback before their marriage dissolved after the 2022 season.
Another high-profile pairing worked out for Mayfield in Tampa Bay. But after three seasons with the Buccaneers, Mayfield has proven that his loft isn’t the most reliable floor. His stubborn insistence on playing through most ailments has negatively affected his game, and with the malaise surrounding Tampa Bay’s 2025 collapse still lingering, Tampa Bay seems content to let Mayfield earn the money he craves.
Mayfield is excited about the opportunity, which he knows could lead to a lucrative opportunity elsewhere as a free agent in 2027.
“If you’ve waited this long to take care of your quarterback, that’s too bad because it’s only going to get worse from here,” Mayfield said. “I’m going to have a really good year.”
A great year could herald entry into the $50 million-a-year club, a wish Mayfield expressed Thursday while speaking with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. That group now includes 12 quarterbacks, with Mahomes sitting atop at $64 million a year and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts coming up the quarterback at $51 million a year.
Should Mayfield live up to his prediction, he could price himself out of Tampa Bay and into the welcoming arms of another NFL club (Pittsburgh, maybe?). It sounds like Mayfield is open to such a development when the time comes.
“When you don’t get an offer that’s attractive, yes, it’s easy to turn the page,” he said.