Latest news with #JasonLicht
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Buccaneers reportedly add $30M in guarantees to Baker Mayfield's contract, but extension looms
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be pleased with the return on their investment in Baker Mayfield. The Buccaneers and Mayfield have restructured his contract to guarantee $30 million that previously wasn't guaranteed, according to multiple reports. Mayfield, 30, is approaching the second year of a three-year, $100 million contract that runs through the 2026 season. He's scheduled to make $40 million in 2026, none of which was previously guaranteed. Per the report, the $30 million in additional guarantees are now part of that final year of his contract. Will Bucs extend Mayfield? The restructure does not extend Mayfield's contract. He's still slated to become a free agent following the 2026 season barring a contract extension. Per Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, an extension is the ultimate goal. 'I love Baker," Licht told The Athletic last week. "I love everything he's done for us. "The goal for us is for Baker to continue to be the player that he is, and at some point, we reach an extension when the time is right and he continues to be our quarterback for a long time. That's the goal.' Mayfield's career resurgence in Tampa A former No. 1 overall pick who failed to live up to his draft slot with the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield has revived his career since joining the Buccaneers in 2023. His improved play has translated into success for the Buccaneers. In two seasons in Tampa, Mayfield has completed 67.9% of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt with season-long averages of 4,272 passing yards, 34.5 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He completed 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns in 2024, setting career highs in each category for the second time in his two seasons in Tampa. The performances have resulted in the first two Pro Bowl selections of Mayfield's career. Can Mayfield maintain success with Liam Coen gone? The Buccaneers have posted winning records (9-8, 10-7) and made the playoffs after each of Mayfield's season at quarterback, extending the team success from the Tom Brady era. Tampa Bay will be seeking its sixth straight playoff berth and fifth consecutive NFC South title in 2025. They'll do so without former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who oversaw Mayfield's resurgence and left this offseason to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. If Mayfield can maintain his success with Coen gone, an extension could be in the works for next offseason, if not sooner.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Buccaneers reportedly add $30M in guarantees to Baker Mayfield's contract, but extension still looms
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be pleased with the return on their investment in Baker Mayfield. The Buccaneers and Mayfield have restructured his contract to guarantee $30 million that previously wasn't guaranteed, according to multiple reports. Mayfield, 30, is approaching the second year of a three-year, $100 million contract that runs through the 2026 season. He's scheduled to make $40 million in 2026, none of which was previously guaranteed. Per the report, the $30 million in additional guarantees are now part of that final year of his contract. Will Bucs extend Mayfield? The restructure does not extend Mayfield's contract. He's still slated to become a free agent following the 2026 season barring a contract extension. Per Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, an extension is the ultimate goal. 'I love Baker," Licht told The Athletic last week. "I love everything he's done for us. "The goal for us is for Baker to continue to be the player that he is, and at some point, we reach an extension when the time is right and he continues to be our quarterback for a long time. That's the goal.' Mayfield's career resurgence in Tampa A former No. 1 overall pick who failed to live up to his draft slot with the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield has revived his career since joining the Buccaneers in 2023. His improved play has translated into success for the Buccaneers. In two seasons in Tampa, Mayfield has completed 67.9% of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt with season-long averages of 4,272 passing yards, 34.5 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He completed 71.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns in 2024, setting career highs in each category for the second time in his two seasons in Tampa. The performances have resulted in the first two Pro Bowl selections of Mayfield's career. Can Mayfield maintain success with Liam Coen gone? The Buccaneers have posted winning records (9-8, 10-7) and made the playoffs after each of Mayfield's season at quarterback, extending the team success from the Tom Brady era. Tampa Bay will be seeking its sixth straight playoff berth and fifth consecutive NFC South title in 2025. They'll do so without former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who oversaw Mayfield's resurgence and left this offseason to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. If Mayfield can maintain his success with Coen gone, an extension could be in the works for next offseason, if not sooner.
New York Times
21 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Buccaneers, QB Baker Mayfield agree to restructured contract that includes more guaranteed money: Source
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield have agreed to a restructured contract that guarantees the 30-year-old quarterback $30 million in 2026 — the final year of his contract, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. Mayfield's deal, which he signed in 2024, was for three years and $100 million, but did not contain any guaranteed money following the 2025 season. Advertisement The restructure follows a Pro Bowl campaign for Mayfield, in which he completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, all career-highs. He also guided the Buccaneers to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth. The reworked deal shows a commitment from Tampa Bay to Mayfield, whom the franchise has made no secret about wanting to keep. 'I love Baker. I love everything he's done for us,' Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told The Athletic earlier this month. 'The goal for us is for Baker to continue to be the player that he is, and at some point, we reach an extension when the time is right and he continues to be our quarterback for a long time. That's the goal.' Mayfield joined the Buccaneers in 2023 after an up-and-down start to his career. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns before taking stops with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. In his first season in Tampa, he helped the Buccaneers win the NFC South and reach the postseason. He was rewarded with a multi-year extension in 2024.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Preview: Baker Mayfield's volume will keep several pass catchers relevant
The Buccaneers have asserted their dominance in the NFC South over the past four seasons, winning the division whether it's Tom Brady or Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Todd Bowles enters his fourth season as the Bucs' head coach (and seventh total) looking to continue as a perennial playoff team with a mix of veterans and young guys who could hopefully play right away. They'll have some challenges as established players like Chris Godwin and Tristian Wirfs battle back from injuries, but the nucleus is much of the same. With younger teams like the Falcons and Panthers adding more talent, the Bucs will need another solid year from Mayfield and his new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. We know the Bucs are good enough to make the playoffs, but how deep can they go? 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (RANK) Points per game: 29.5 (4th)Total yards per game: 399.6 (3rd)Plays per game: 64.6 (6th)Dropbacks per game: 40.9 (14th)Dropback EPA per play: 0.21 (5th)Rush attempts per game: 28.4 (10th)Rush EPA per play: 0.01 (4th) Coaching Staff Equipped with a new three-year extension, Todd Bowles has found his footing as the Bucs' head coach in the past three seasons. Coming off of a third straight NFC South title and his first 10-win season as a HC since 2015 with the Jets, Bowles and GM Jason Licht knew they had to improve their 18th ranked overall defense. They added Haason Reddick while also drafting defensive backs Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish to help with the Bucs' 29th ranked pass defense. It was bad for the Bucs, but good for fantasy managers who rostered their offensive players who were part of their third-ranked passing offense in the NFL. If the Bucs' improve on defense, it'll naturally slow the game down for them on offense, but they'll have to show they can actually hold up on that side of the ball. For a third consecutive year the Bucs will have a new offensive coordinator, but this time he comes from in house. Former passing game coordinator Josh Grizzard has been promoted to keep the ship sailing on a top five unit that has plenty of talent. He was put in this position mainly because he's got first hand knowledge of what he's working with and the continuity would be best for the Bucs' offense. He'll add his wrinkles, but you shouldn't expect to see much difference in how the offense is run. The question is, will he follow in Dave Canales' and Liam Cohen's footsteps and become a head coach next? Passing Game QB: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask WR: Mike Evans, Trey Palmer WR: Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan WR: Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard TE: Cade Otton, Payne Durham Pop, Ko Kieft Baker Mayfield has undoubtedly had his best two seasons since going to Tampa Bay before the 2023 season. While he did tie for the league lead in interceptions (with Kirk Cousins) at 16, he was tied for second (with Lamar Jackson) in the NFL with 41 touchdown passes. You can chalk most of these numbers up to volume as he was seventh in the league with 33.5 passing attempts per game. At the end of the day, it ended with him finishing as QB5 in fantasy. As stated above, don't expect the Bucs' offense to change much and with an added weapon, Mayfield should be in the mix as one of the quarterbacks selected after you the top-tier dual threat quarterbacks are taken in fantasy drafts. That new added weapon will be Emeka Egbuka. We know Mike Evans is great and he will be that this year as well. We also know that the Bucs just equipped Chris Godwin with a new contract, but at some point players will stop playing and the Bucs are getting ahead of it. Egbuka being drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft after they saw the success that Jalen McMillan had (after being picked in the third round in 2024) should tell you how good they feel about him. Let's go back to Godwin real quick. Prior to his injury in Week 7 of last season, only Ja'Marr Chase had scored more fantasy points than him at receiver. When will he be back though? We don't know. What we do know is that during that stretch, Evans was WR21, but from Weeks 8-17 he was WR3 in fantasy points per game. Both guys still got it. Expect Egbuka to occupy the WR2 role until we see Godwin back and we know Mayfield can keep several pass catchers fantasy relevant. McMillan on the other hand, will try and keep his footing after recording eight touchdown receptions as a rookie. If anything, you know he's reliable if one of the vets goes down again. Remember how I just said Mayfield keeps several pass catchers fantasy relevant? Well that includes the tight end too as Cade Otton finished as TE12 in fantasy. Now there's some context here (as it should be with everything). In the game that Godwin got hurt, Otton went on to finish with 18 fantasy points. The following two games he score 29.1 and 21.7. After that he didn't reach more than 10 fantasy points in another game. Prior to Godwin's injury he scored more than 10 fantasy points just once. While serviceable, Otton will need touchdowns to pan out if all the receivers are healthy and rolling. It's also important to remember that the Bucs have two (and maybe even three) running backs that will handle pass-catching duties as well. Running Game RB: Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Sean Tucker, D.J. Williams/Josh Williams OL (L-R): Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch, Luke Goedeke One of those running backs who'll be catching passes is Bucky Irving, who hauled in 47 receptions for 392 yards as a rookie. He was exceptional on the ground as well rushing for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns on 5.4 YPC. While he was 'only' RB19 in fantasy points per game, he did all of this playing only 45% of the snaps. Rachaad White (RB21) on the other hand came at 51% of the snaps. It should be noted however, in Weeks 1-5 Irving averaged only 36.6% snaps per game. That number jumped to 50.4% the rest of the regular season in games he didn't miss due to injury. With that being said, the playing time naturally decreased for White as he fell out of favor with the team due to the emergence of Irving. The only other running back to take the field for the Bucs was Sean Tucker (RB1 in Week 6 last season), who shouldn't be slept on when it comes to cutting into White's share of the pie. Nonetheless, it's now known that Bucky Irving is the guy for the Bucs coming into 2025 and his ceiling is a top 5-10 running back in fantasy. The entire Bucs' offensive line will return every single starter from 2024, all of which started at least 16 games last season with the exception of Luke Goedeke (who missed four games with a concussion). The line is still young with the eldest statesman being Ben Bredeson at age 27, yet the Bucs were the 4th best rushing offense in the league last season. The unit will continue to be anchored by three-time All-Pro Tristan Wirfs, who is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. The Bucs offense was the third-best in the NFL in 2024 and there's no reason to think they won't hover around that again with this offensive line staying together. 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Win Total (O/U 9.5) The Bucs have finished first in the NFC South three straight seasons under Todd Bowles, but have yet to exceed 10 wins despite being in one of the weaker divisions. After posting a 4-2 divisional record last season, I expect teams like the Falcons (who swept them in 2024) and the Panthers to take a step up this season. Additionally, outside of their own division, the Bucs will face teams like the Eagles, 49ers, Lions, Bills and Rams who will be tough to take down. Even with the offensive firepower, I'm going to say the Bucs go under 9.5 wins this season and it'll be a tight race in the NFC South for that home playoff game.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Buccaneers' Veterans Key To 2025 Super Bowl Hope
Buccaneers' Veterans Key To 2025 Super Bowl Hope originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had themselves a good offseason with free agency, the draft and the ability to re-sign a host of their own players, general manager Jason Licht has gotten it done. With the Buccaneers seen as a contender in the NFC, and for some, in the wider Super Bowl race, the franchise will enter the 2025 season with as big expectations as it had when Tom Brady arrived. But the big question is can Tampa Bay bring it all together and go on a deep playoff run? For CBS Sports, the re-signing of two veteran players is key to any optimism the franchise has. "The Buccaneers were able to keep two key core pieces intact this offseason," CBS Sports writes. "First, they secured long-time linebacker Lavonte David on a one-year deal as he enters his age-35 season. Then, they lured Chris Godwin back to Tampa with a three-year, $66 million extension. "While these players are a bit long in the tooth, they've been instrumental pieces to their string of success over the last half-decade. Keeping them in-house should go a long way in Tampa Bay, continuing to push for deep playoff runs." David helps marshal the defense from his linebacker spot, and one could argue that, still at his age, he is one of the better linebackers in football. As for Godwin, he was on a career-best pace prior to his injury in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, which ruled him out for the year. Having him back to go with Mike Evans and the handful of other weapons gives Baker Mayfield plenty of options in the passing game. But more than just stats, David and Godwin bring a veteran leadership quality both on and off the field that will help the Buccaneers' young core navigate NFL life. And that might just be the secret ingredient in the Buccaneers amounting to something substantial in 2025. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
