Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns in Detroit on Sunday, but his final pass was picked off by Derrick Barnes with just over a minute left in the game and the Bucs lost 31-23.
Mayfield joined the Bucs on a one-year deal as a free agent last year and his first season was a big rebound from a couple of down years spent with the Browns, Panthers, and Rams. Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns during the regular season and then threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff win over the Eagles.
After the game, head coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield has “definitely earned” a new contract and Mayfield said he likes the idea of having another year in the offense.
“I love this group,” Mayfield said, via the team’s website. “I’ve said that all year and it’s authentic. It would mean a lot to me, to bring back a lot of key pieces, to get this back together, to get into Year Two in the system. I feel like we could make huge strides. I would love that. Obviously, we’ll see how it’s going to play out but I can’t say enough about this organization and the opportunity they gave me this year.”
Bowles said “it’s too early to talk about” Mayfield’s next contract, but it probably won’t be long before that’s a main topic of conversation in Tampa.