New contract on the horizon in Tampa?

[Fletch59]

Seemed so unlikely The Bucs brought in the former number one overall to shore up their quarterback position before the 2023 season. He was signed and handed the starter’s role early on in the process; the rest, as they say, is history. The team was hot out of the gate, winning their first three games and turning heads around the NFL. It all seemed so unlikely. Mayfield quickly became the feel-good story of the season. With many sports outlets running stories on how this was Mayfield’s last chance to get it right in the NFL, even more so reporting on how he was playing better than he ever had, then came a run of approximately three games where the offense couldn’t score enough to beat the Lions, Falcons, and Bills; all of which were in reach for most of the entire game, and were games the Bucs could, and should, have won. The team floundered back and forth, beating the bad teams but losing to the good ones —This was the Baker Mayfield that I remembered. He was showing his true colors — Four losses in a row came before a win against the Titans, then the team lost two more in a row to the 49ers and Colts. Then came a game at Carolina (currently 2-13) where the team struggled to pull away on the scoreboard. For a moment it looked bad for the Bucs, but they pulled it out in the end, just barely. Make-or-break time, then it happened. Then came what would be the turning point in the biggest game of the season. Having lost to the Falcons, once already, this game became a must-win scenario. The Falcons already owned a better overall record than the Bucs. A loss in Atlanta would have given them the division sweep and a strong leg up on winning the division title. It wasn’t the Bucs’ best game, but in the end, they pulled it out 29-25. Then it was like Baker Mayfield’s fairy godmother flew over his bed and waved her wand over him as he slept. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs went into Lambeau Field and applied a beat-down to the Packers. In fact, Mayfield played better than any visiting quarterback ever had on that hallowed ground. Earning offensive player of the week honors. Then it was time for an in-state rival who had high hopes for this season, The Jaguars. The Bucs caught the Jaguars at the right time (1-4 in their last five games) and put a stomping on the St. Johns River Jaguars in Ray-Jay 30-12 to get back into the above .500 club at 8-7. Control of their own destiny Next up is our biggest nemesis, the Saints. The Bucs stand ahead of them in the standings and could end all doubts by again beating the Aints, this time at home at Ray-Jay. A win would all but guarantee the division title for the third straight season and would be the fourth straight year to make the playoffs. The Bucs qualified for the playoffs, their second Super Bowl season as a wild card (2020-2021 season). The NFL Network reported that the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield are in agreement on him being signed for at least the 2024 season and possibly beyond. I never thought I would say this, but it appears with Mayfield’s recent lights-out play that this could be a good move for the franchise’s immediate future. It would also seem to cement into place my prediction from two seasons ago that Kyle Trask would leave Tampa, having never started a regular season game. His future lies ahead of him elsewhere. For now, though, let us celebrate not only Baker Mayfield, but the rest of the team. Especially a much-maligned offensive line that is coming together nicely. In truth, the O-Line was never as bad as so many fans believed. Patience Bucs fans are a relatively young group. Raise yer glasses to Baker Mayfield, the hero of 2023 and beyond; maybe. Go Bucs!!   The post New contract on the horizon in Tampa? appeared first on Bucs Life.

Source: https://bucslifemedia.com/2023/12/30/ne ... in-tampa1/