Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is getting set to hit free agency this offseason, but if his most recent comments are any indication, he won’t be going anywhere.
Mayfield made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, and during the interview, he hinted that he will be re-signing with the Buccaneers next month.
“The first step happened in Tampa hiring the OC (Liam Coen), so I’m excited about that,” Mayfield told Eisen. “Someone I’m familiar with. Great guy.”
Mayfield worked with Coen during his brief stay with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, so there is definitely some familiarity there.
“Obviously, I think, a big factor in that was the same system that we ran last year, so guys don’t have to re-learn anything,” Mayfield added. “Terminology might be a little bit different, but same system, same scheme.”
It seems like Tampa Bay hired Coen with the intention of convincing Mayfield to stick around for the foreseeable future, and the 28-year-old seems perfectly content to remain with the Bucs.
“And so, just take the next steps from there, and then let my agent and those guys negotiate from there,” Mayfield continued. “I’m thankful for that place. They gave me an opportunity.”
Mayfield revived his career this season, throwing for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 64.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 94.6 in what was the most productive campaign of his six-year NFL tenure.
Most importantly, Mayfield led the Buccaneers to an NFC South division title and a Wild Card Round playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles in which Mayfield threw three touchdown passes.
The University of Oklahoma product will likely generate considerable interest on the open market this spring, but it’s certainly looking like Tampa Bay is the favorite to retain him.
Baker Mayfield was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
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