Early on in the process, I’m told, he showed a strong affinity for the Bucs, and that actually matches right up with what he told me shortly after he signed on March 15.
His process, he explained, started with having some time to take a deep breath after being moved from Cleveland to Carolina to Los Angeles in a six-month span.
“I finally had some [time] to , I think that’s the key word,” Mayfield said. “And, yeah, just looking at it from a big-picture standpoint, I want to play this game for a long time. So where’s the next spot that’s going to be the most stable position, where I can come in and compete, and do the best I can to showcase what I’m capable of? This is a great opportunity to do so. Normally when a spot like this opens up, it’s because bad things have happened.
“But this one, it’s just because Tom [Brady] retired. So it’s a perfect opportunity for me.”
He also accepted a one-year deal with a base value of $4 million (with another $4.5 million in incentives available) to facilitate his arrival with a team that committed to using this year to pay off the salary-cap debts of the Brady era, which will be evident in some $80 million of dead money expected on Tampa’s 2023 cap.
Now, Mayfield knows he’ll have to beat out Kyle Trask, whom the Bucs spent a second-round pick on two years ago, to get the opportunity that was so enticing to him. But if he does that? He’ll be playing behind Tristan Wirfs, and throwing to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in a winnable division. So if the goal here is to launch the second phase of his career, and set up, say, a 15-year pro stint, I think he was smart to look for the right place, not necessarily the most lucrative one, to work on that.
