Report: Baker Mayfield Lands Bucs Contract, Will Battle with Trask to Replace Brady

Veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield is moving on to his fourth team.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finalizing a one-year contract worth $8.5 million that will give him "the opportunity to battle for the starting spot with Kyle Trask."

After enduring the worst year of his NFL career in 2021, Mayfield's stock tumbled even further in 2022.

The 2018 No. 1 overall pick threw for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions in seven appearances with the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers cut him in early December, which reflected how poorly his stint in Charlotte went.

The Los Angeles Rams claimed Mayfield off waivers. Pairing up with Rams head coach Sean McVay didn't trigger a renaissance for the 27-year-old. He had 850 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions across five games.

The peak of Mayfield's season came in the Rams' 51-14 demolition of the Denver Broncos. He went 24-of-28 for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

Thanks to his time in L.A., Mayfield gained a new perspective ahead of his free agency. He told reporters in January he wasn't "gonna go chase a check to start and play."

"After seeing a place that makes me have fun playing football again, it's gonna be hard to try something else new, but it's gonna be a big-time decision," he said. "There's gonna be a lot of thought put into it."

Heading into last year, there was some reason to believe Mayfield could be a productive starter again. The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner was fully healthy and no longer dogged by the shoulder trouble that limited him in 2021.

That his performance continued to decline certainly doesn't bode well for his future.

At the very least, there was little chance of Mayfield signing with a team that would automatically slot him into the starting role for Week 1. And he might already be perpetually siloed into the high-end backup category.

For the Bucs, signing Mayfield doesn't present much mystery one way or the other. Teams by and large know what his ceiling and floor are by this point.

We saw Mayfield at his best, and his best wasn't good enough to convince even the Cleveland Browns he was a No. 1 guy.

As a backup, however, you could do a lot worse than the 6'1" signal-caller. While that's damning with faint praise to a degree, finding a good backup is easier said than done.

Depth in the quarterback room can go a long way, and that's what his arrival provides for Tampa Bay.

Tom Brady's retirement wasn't totally unexpected but left the Buccaneers in a tough spot regardless. Absent an outside addition, they were looking at Trask as their 2023 starter.

You wouldn't think Tampa Bay is totally waving the white flag and going into a rebuild with Brady gone. Because of that, Mayfield isn't an optimal solution for the team's quarterback situation.

He was about as good as the Bucs could do, though, with limited salary cap space this offseason.