There’s no doubt that Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield got paid this offseason. After signing on last year for $4 million, Baker Mayfield’s pockets are full after agreeing to a three-year $100 million deal with $50 million guaranteed.

With that said, Baker Mayfield agreed to all of this before even reaching free agency, so the Bucs were able to avoid getting into a bidding war with other quarterback needy teams. Or another way of looking at it is Baker Mayfield never saw how much he could really drive up the price, considering how it played out with another team in his division.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

There are many factors more important than money, though, and above all else Baker Mayfield has peace of mind knowing he’s back with a team that he had a tremendous amount of success with and keeps the main group intact. One can’t help but wonder if Baker Mayfield took a bit of hometown discount to achieve this. Or was it just the right price?

Did Baker Mayfield Take Less Money?

“For me, I said it immediately after our Detroit game, following the loss: to build a winning team and to have a lot of the key pieces that we needed back to continue this run and improve it, some sacrifices have to be made.” Mayfield said last week. “Now, listen, this is life-changing money and I’m not going to act otherwise. It’s something that I’ve worked extremely hard for over the years and many years of football. I’m grateful for it. There’s nothing to be ashamed about. There’s nothing to say, ‘Oh, well he got more.’ It’s not that mentality.

“Knowing that we have a chance to bring back some key pieces and make a further run in the playoffs, that’s important to me. I’m a winner at heart, I hate losing, so knowing that we get a lot of guys back and we can continue to build this for years to come is a special thing.”

It’s crazy to think after signing a $100 million contract that Mayfield is still the third highest paid quarterback in his own division. Kirk Cousins, the other sought after quarterback in free agency, inked a four-year $180 million dollar deal to head to the Atlanta Falcons. Last offseason, Derek Carr got the big contract signing off with the Saints on a four-year $150 million contract.

Would it be fair to say that New Orleans has some buyer’s remorse over Carr? The Saints went 9-8, missed the playoffs and Carr’s 3,878 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to eight interceptions sounds a lot better than his mediocre play actually looked. That’s a lot of money for pedestrian results.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

The Falcons are certainly taking a big risk with Cousins as well. Atlanta does seem like they are a quarterback away from being a true contender, but Cousins is 36-years old coming off a very serious achilles injury. While a good player, Cousins has formed a reputation for not playing well in primetime games, doing better when the spotlight isn’t on him. The expectations have never been higher in his career, and his one playoff win doesn’t scream as a challenge that the Bucs can’t overcome when facing their divisional opponent.

Baker Mayfield Is Still A Bargain In The NFC South

Expectations will be higher for Baker Mayfield and the Bucs as well, which is to be expected after his great season. At least he proved on this team to get his new contract. Carr and Cousins were each coming from different teams when they got their payout. Mayfield accomplished it in Tampa.

By the way, although Baker Mayfield has more playoff wins than all of the other NFC South quarterbacks combined, somehow the Bucs are still getting pushed to the wayside in favor of the Falcons. Maybe it’s because the Falcons are the hot new thing with the flashy signing in free agency, but let’s not forget that the Bucs have won the division over the last three years and their four consecutive postseason appearances is the longest streak in the NFC.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

“The expectation on the outside, if you pay attention to that, you’re not doing it right,” Mayfield said.  “Just knowing the people that we have in this building, we set our own standard – we know what our own expectation is. We know the pieces that we have. We’re capable of winning a Super Bowl. You set that standard and you don’t let anybody dip below that line. For us, we have a lot of the same guys coming back. We were there. Once you get a taste of losing in the playoffs, it makes you driven even more.

“For us, knowing that we were a little bit short in the playoffs and just to continue to push… There [were] a lot of lessons we learned last year as a team, as well. Starting out 3-1 and going to 4-7 and having to win five-out-of-six of the last ones to get into the playoffs, we were battle tested. Knowing that we can control that – there’s things that can go your way, but as long as you stay the course, good things will happen.”