Story by
Lewan Urges Buccaneers to Pay Mayfield
- Story by
- Lewan Urges Buccaneers to Pay Mayfield
(Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Former offensive tackle and podcaster Taylor Lewan had someadvice for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers concerning stalled contract negotiationswith quarterback Baker Mayfield recently on his podcast "Bussin' With The Boys."
Lewan stated the franchise not only needs to pay theirquarterback, but doing so will have a calming effect on the team and franchise,as the Buccaneers are not only in negotiations with Mayfield, star defensivetackle and anchor of the defense Vita Vea has recently asked for a trade.
Advertisement
Lewan said striking a deal with Mayfield is the most importantmove Tampa Bay can make.
"You need the head of the snake in order to function at 100percent," Lewan said. "He's going to be a leader and he's going to be all ball,but everybody is going to know, if you pull him into a corner and ask 'How do wefeel?' He's going to be pissed off with the situation. But when it comes to thequarterback, it's take care of your No. 1 guy first. Then it's on Baker to gotoward the Kirk Cousins role of how do we structure this contract so it cantrickle down for everybody else."
Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, is in the final year of his deal and will play for$33.3 million. According to Adam Schefter, Tampa Bay offered a two-year deal worthmore than $100 million total.
Last month Mayfield said there would be no further contractdiscussions until after the 2026 season.
Advertisement
"If you've waited this long to take care of your franchisequarterback, that's too bad because it's only going to get worse from here,"Mayfield said. "I'm going to have a really big year."
Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to two NFC South Divisiontitles and a playoff win in his two seasons.
Heading into this season, Mayfield is the 16th-highestpaid quarterback in the NFL and has used contract comparisons including TrevorLawrence of Jacksonville ($55 million per year), Jordan Love of Green Bay ($55million) and Brock Purdy of San Francisco ($53 million).
Of the top 15-highest paid quarterbacks, eight have never playedin a Super Bowl and Mayfield (12) trails only Josh Allen of Buffalo (29) and Dak Prescott of the Dallas (14) in career playoff passing touchdowns who havenever played in the Super Bowl.
Advertisement
If a deal is not done after the season the 2027 free agentquarterbacks will include Deshaun Watson of Cleveland , Aaron Rodgers of Pittsburgh , Jacoby Brissett of Arizona , Cousins of Las Vegas and Justin Field of Kansas City , and Mayfield.
Lewan went on to say signing Mayfield will pay dividends.
"There's a bit of yin and yang taking place," Lewan said. "Ialways lean on the fact of 'Let's pay our boy. Let's get our boy paid.' And let'smake sure we have the continuity of this team and this franchise so that we feelreally good about it."
The Buccaneers will open their preseason at 7 p.m. ET onAug. 14 against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
