When [brainstorming on Saturday](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/with-brock-purdy-paid-c-j-stroud-is-on-deck-after-the-2025-season) the various quarterbacks who are due for new contracts after Brock Purdy got his second deal, I knew I was going to forget to mention someone.
And, of course, I did.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who’s in the second year of a three-year, $100 million contract, is underpaid relative to other veteran starting quarterbacks. Of course, that makes it a very good deal for the Bucs, who are paying $33.3 million per year for a top-10 quarterback.
This year, Mayfield’s cap number is a very affordable $23.875 million.
An extension, and a raise, becomes likely next year. That’s when Mayfield’s cap number spikes to nearly $50 million, fueled by a salary of $40 million.
However it plays out, Mayfield continues to play better than most quarterbacks. It’s amazing, in hindsight, that he was available to anyone who wanted to sign him in 2024 — and no one who needed a starting quarterback after the 2023 season (Patriots, Steelers, Titans, Raiders, Broncos, Commanders, Giants, Vikings, Bears, Falcons) seemed to give Mayfield serious consideration as an alternative to other free agents or the incoming draft class.
As the list of quarterback contracts goes, Mayfield is currently at the bottom of the top 20. He’s the lowest-paid starting quarterback not on a rookie contract other than Jets quarterback Justin Fields (if, as it seems, he wins the starting job) and Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (if, as he might not, he wins the QB1 job).
To his credit, Mayfield has given no indication that he’s unhappy with his contract. If anything, he’s happy that, after crawling to freedom through [five hundred yards of shit-smelling foulness I can’t even imagine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iuxx9HnoSY), he finally found a long-term NFL home.
It’s good for Mayfield. It’s good for the Buccaneers. And, by next year, he’ll likely get a new deal that pushes him significantly higher on the list of highest-paid NFL quarterbacks.
As it should.
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