Report: Tampa Bay Buccaneers finalizing deal to sign QB Baker Mayfield to a 1-year, $8.5 million deal

After a 2022 season in the NFL that saw him play for two different teams, Baker Mayfield knows what his future in the league holds. According to Tom Pelissero, Mayfield is headed to play quarterback for Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to Adam Schefter, the deal is for one year at $8.5 million.

The former No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns before he was traded to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2022 season. Things did not go well for Mayfield in Carolina, though. Mayfield played seven games for the Panthers, starting six of them. Mayfield threw for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions in that time but was released by Carolina in December.

One day after his release from Carolina, Mayfield was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield played five games for the Rams, starting four of them. He threw for 850 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in that time.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline follows the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match that round pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.