Baker Mayfield: “Obviously, We Want To Get The Band Back Together”
February 7th, 2024
Package deal?
In the mind of Bucs free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield, for the legacy of future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans, he needs to finish his playing days wearing Bucs gear.
That’s what Mayfield said on NFL Network this afternoon at the Super Bowl Media Center at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Mayfield was going through the car wash today. Moments before he spoke with Joe, Mayfield did a sitdown for the NFL’s house organ.
There, Mayfield was asked point blank if he is lobbying Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to sign Evans and if Mayfield and Evans are a package deal.
Mayfield slightly dodged the question but didn’t try to hide his love for Evans.
“Obviously, we want to get the band back together,” Mayfield said. “But I understand where Mike is at in his career. Like you said, he’s a huge target. But the guy has done it so consistently, 10 years in a row of over 1,000 yards. Very few people can ever say that.
“The guy is unreal. He’s done it so well for so long. Everybody wanted to put an age on it and say he’s not going to be good any more and I think he took that personally.
“We have both voiced our opinions that we both want to be back together. But it has got to happen the right way. But Mike deserves to be a Buccaneer for life. He has done so much for that community, so much for the franchise. He has put his time in. I just can’t say enough about the guy as a player, and a guy in general.”
Well, if the Bucs really want both Mayfield and Evans back, and it appears they do, they may want to get something done in the near future. Heaven help us if either of those two hit the open market.
In exactly five weeks, the free agency dinner bell rings. It only takes one team with an open checkbook to screw things up royally for the Bucs.
Don’t let that happen.
“Mike deserves to be a Buccaneer for life.”@bakermayfield would like to see the “band back together” with @MikeEvans13_ and the @Buccaneers.@nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/N9Vcr2DrMD
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) February 7, 2024
February 7th, 2024 at 5:40 pm
Come back player of the year Bakey!!
Got to bring the band back and belt them tunes out again.
February 7th, 2024 at 5:50 pm
We are a Playoff team with both of them back. Pass Rush. Pass Rush. Plz
February 7th, 2024 at 5:51 pm
It’s going to happen. LFG!
February 7th, 2024 at 5:53 pm
Yes, bring the band back for more gaping potholes full of losses in mid season.
And two game costing turnovers by the overhyped and soon to be overpaid QB.
Baker will never win a Superbowl.
February 7th, 2024 at 5:56 pm
I would say make it happen, but there are so many smart basement dwellers who claim they both suck, maybe Jason should give these geniuses a call and get their recommendations on who we get to replace them and for how much.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:05 pm
RiggedNFL needs to rush over to OBP and get an interview with the Bucs organization ASAP. Your unarticulated ideas will surely go miles into making the Bucs a perennial SB champion.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:11 pm
“But I understand where Mike is at in his career.”
This part of the statement was very unsettling and quite telling…
Translation: Mike Evans only has one more contract left – he wants a ton of cash and another ring.
Hello Houston goodbye Tampa.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:12 pm
Rigged is an idiot
GFY
February 7th, 2024 at 6:21 pm
Yes, bring the band back together! Love Baker’s moxie.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:26 pm
Mayfield, did not say anything about taken a smaller deal to get the band back.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:28 pm
Marine, the Texans were a great story this year. But they won’t take anyone by surprise next year. And the AFC just got tougher with the chargers and harbaugh. Mike’s chance is as good here as it would be there in my opinion. It’ll come down the money however.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:41 pm
If the dreamers get their wish, that 2 man picture is 1/3 of our salary cap.
Seems doable right?
😂😂
I think ME will be a Raven and we can sign at least 2 quality FAs with the soon to be declining ME money.
Are you a BUCS fan or a ME fan?
February 7th, 2024 at 6:43 pm
@ Steven007
“It’ll come down the money however.”
I agree and Houston’s salary cap situation is far better than the Bucs.
They have almost double the available cap space and more contracts to restructure than the Bucs do…
Plus – Houston has a starting QB on their rookie contract. What will the Bucs be paying Baker next season? $30M? $35M?
Not to mention Texas (like Florida) has zero state income tax.
Advantage – Houston.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:47 pm
18th in QBR, 20th in scoring – last in scoring among QBs that started 16 or 17 games.
Again, fine with bringing him back, so long as you’re not paying him like a top QB, because he’s not a top QB. Hopefully he can improve from his middling year, but history says QBs who are busts and then have a ‘big’ year, generally return to the mean. But, again, it’s not 100% – so there’s always hope Baker is the exception, but if I’m Licht, I’m not betting my job on giving Baker a big deal. Also, to be clear, big deal means a big multi-year deal, he’ll still get a ton of money next year, but you want to make sure you have an out in case he’s no good – but also protect the team in case he can improve and you want to keep him around.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:50 pm
It IS getting old with the Nancy’s and their doom day proficies. BORING!!
Seriously.
Come up with some new material because there is NO POINT in listening to your FAILURE of a prophecy over and over. Easy answer, just skip over known Nancy’s and no longer give them an ear. There is No Point in listening to what will be WRONG AS USUAL!
Long shot predictions are for LOSERS because they LOSE A LOT!!! Your predictions are just a bad bet and eventually you’ll need a rehab facility because your Scooby-Doo gambling logic is GOING TO BANKRUPT YOUR FAMILY! If it hasn’t already….
February 7th, 2024 at 6:54 pm
I would not bank on Houston repeating it,s success. Stroud will face defenses next year that have studied his every move. He will have a sophmore slump. Bakes has expeRience and has seen everything. Mr. Adjustment.Coen will bring looks from UK the NFL has never seen before.
February 7th, 2024 at 6:55 pm
This is a playoff team without Mayfield. He threw two picks that cost us the playoff game. Lock up Evans and sign the best QB that is at a good price. This team will be in the playoffs next year. Maybe the QB won’t throw those picks next year. Go bucs!!!!!!
February 7th, 2024 at 6:56 pm
“Baker’s not a top QB.”
OK.
But lesser QBs are still getting $40 large a year (see Jones, Daniel, NYG and a host of others).
The market dictates what the price is. If Licht doesn’t resign Baker, he’ll have to overpay for someone else, because the Bucs are still in win now mode. And BTW – good. Tanking is for fantasy losers. Win now. Every year. It’s why good teams stay good for a long time, even in the modern salary cap environment.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Rod Muncher..Baker is elite in the playoffs 2023 playoffs..Pass yards 3rd TDs first. The NfC south is weak. Perfect for Bakes. Just get in…
February 7th, 2024 at 7:02 pm
Looks like the Bucs have a special teams coach. Coach Bowles supposedly hiring ex-Giants STC.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:02 pm
RiggedNFL: Your opinion about Baker really doesn’t matter anymore since he’ll be signed to a multi-year deal SOON. Deal with it.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:05 pm
Rod Munch Says:
February 7th, 2024 at 6:47 pm
last in scoring among QBs that started 16 or 17 games.
You are still number one is using dumb stats
No one else is so silly to isolate against Qbs not getting injured.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:06 pm
Bucs just made a move I don’t like.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:08 pm
Dave Pear – well the Giants would love to dump that contract on anyone that would take it. That’s my point, you don’t want to get stuck in a deal like that – and last year when the Giants gave him that deal, I laughed my a– off, it was such an awful deal. You never take a guy who is basically a bust, then has one good season, and give them a huge multi-year deal, it almost never works out.
But, I agree, the market will dictate what happens, and it only takes one team to really want him to drive up the price. I’d still pay Baker a lot for one more year, just in case he can improve still, but it’s very risky, and you have to give yourself out an out. But if Atlanta wants to swoop in and give him a Derek Carr like deal, then you bid up the price as much as possible and just walk away.
Personally I’d much rather trade for Justin Fields, who’s cap hit next year is only like $3m, and that gives you money to resign Evans and Winfield and David and still add a 3rd WR. Field was more consistent than Baker over the last half of the season, and would bring a totally new element to the offense. But there’s other options too, like Gardner Minshew, who is at least 90% as good as Baker but would cost 1/3rd the price.
Point is don’t tie yourself long term to one QB coming off a career year, it rarely works out well.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:10 pm
Marky Mark Says:
February 7th, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Rod Muncher..Baker is elite in the playoffs 2023 playoffs.
———
He LITERALLY had the ball in his hands with the game on the line vs Detroit with 2 minutes left and threw an INT in 2 plays and lost the game.
That is not being ELITE. Literally NOT elite.
Wow, what an idiot. Even by the low standards of the Baker Bois, that’s a really stupid comment.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:12 pm
WyomingJoe Says:
February 7th, 2024 at 7:02 pm
RiggedNFL: Your opinion about Baker really doesn’t matter anymore since he’ll be signed to a multi-year deal SOON. Deal with it.
But we know they won’t Wjoe . They will have internal melt downs and come back beginning in preseason lining up to make predictions as if their predictions this season were not all busts.
and if the team is any worse than 4 – 0 to start the season the whining and crying will be even worse because the team is actually paying for a Qb then.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:16 pm
Todd Bowles hired the worst special teams coordinator out of the six that were interviewed. I can’t even type his name. I was hoping for izzo
February 7th, 2024 at 7:16 pm
@bucs76 – so you expect a bargain bin QB not to throw ONE pick in the playoffs game let alone get the team to the playoffs. Evans drop caused the one pick so spare us that bad faith BS. SMDH
Some of you can’t even argue honestly.
MAYFIELD’s IMPORTANCE AS A STARTING QUALITY QB>>>> WR1 evans
February 7th, 2024 at 7:17 pm
Rod Munch Says:
Wow, what an idiot. Even by the low standards of the Baker Bois, that’s a really stupid comment.
He is referring to the rest of his stats which are not negated by a single pick to those of us with sufficient IQ
Like i have tried to instruct your before. IF you are going indict Baker on something it won’t be on ints because his TD to int ratio is too good to fool intelligent adults.
the non adults well yeah you can convince those of anything.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:26 pm
Rod Munch … ‘Personally I’d much rather trade for Justin Fields, who’s cap hit next year is only like $3m, and that gives you money to resign Evans and Winfield and David and still add a 3rd WR.’
Intriguing option Rod, but WHO do we trade for Justin Fields? And what makes anyone think that he’s even on the market? It just doesn’t make sense for Chicago to trade him to anyone since he’s still on a cheap rookie deal. Even if the Bears draft a QB this year in Rnd 1, odds are they’d still keep Fields IMO.
February 7th, 2024 at 7:27 pm
Marky Mark Says:
February 7th, 2024 at 6:54 pm
I would not bank on Houston repeating it,s success. Stroud will face defenses next year that have studied his every move. He will have a sophmore slump.
—-
We agree on Baker but Stroud looks to be the real deal. Probably one of those generational talents. I don’t see him falling off
Honestly mike seems entrenched in the Texas community after all these years. I’d want to be really in with the community I intend on retiring to so i think unlike baker – its all about the cash. IF the cash isn’t with the Bucs then I’d go home to be the home town hero and retire
February 7th, 2024 at 7:38 pm
Rod Mush is just triggered about he wrong he was about Mayfield and the Bucs all season…..
Howd that 5-12 pre season prediction go, Rod?
The Trask fan club is officially out of business
February 7th, 2024 at 8:16 pm
We need to get both of these guys signed.
Evans should finish his career here.
We should sign Mayfield to a long term contract.
You DONT let great QBs lip thru your fingers. Sign him to a 3 or 4 year contract- and He keeps playing like a ProBowler- He’ll cost you ALOT more then
Sign him to A 6 year deal.
I trust Jason Licht(except when drafting Defensive linemen).
I think He’ll have our QB and star WR in the fold for a long time.
And Winfield Jr. and that great Kicker!
February 7th, 2024 at 8:18 pm
Re-sign Mayfield and then you have the option to use the franchise tag on Evans. He will give us a hometown discount rather than face being franchised and having to replicate this season and look for a long term contract when he is 32 years old
February 7th, 2024 at 8:23 pm
Fanbois are the idiots. Can’t handle anyone saying anything even remotely derogatory towards their demigod. So funny hearing the sound of their Victoria Secrets bunching all up in their secret place!
Pay Mike 1st he’s proven his worth. Mayfield has yet to prove he is even consistently good.
Fanbois love themselves a mediocre qb and want the Bucs to be the same, middling
February 7th, 2024 at 8:30 pm
Barring injury, the chargers have areal shot next year, and I’m betting Herbert next years mvp. Third place schedule. Harbaugh wants saquan Barkley ( upgrade from ekler) . Rod: guess which qb had the lowest 4th qtr qbr last year? Fields. Most 4 th qtr turnovers ? Fields. I get you’d like an option over King Mayfield. Tannehil is a cheaper , smarter qb. He’d get the Bucs to 7-10…. Maybe.
February 7th, 2024 at 8:35 pm
“10 years in a row of over 1,000 yards. Very few people can ever say that.“
-Baker
Yes, Baker. Only 3. Evans, Moss, Rice. Only one to start their career. 1k next year and it’s only Evans and Rice. The year after and it’s only Evans.
February 7th, 2024 at 8:36 pm
The Franchise tag would be a great fit for Baker, except with Winfield and Evans also being so critical, it mucks it up.
February 7th, 2024 at 9:18 pm
Baker got burned by the Browns and had no long term protection when he got hurt. He won’t make that mistake again. He and agent will be looking for a 5 year deal at $40M/yr with a big portion guaranteed. If the Baker fake analysts don’t want the Bucs to pay, that it is fine. Some team will. Mayfield is an elite talent, still relatively young, and playoff tested.
February 7th, 2024 at 9:35 pm
It’s a shame that so many of the Buc’s “faithful” that comment so adamantly about how bad everything is, seem to want to watch it burn! Always something that the armchair analysts and GMs seem to always be sure of…
February 7th, 2024 at 10:23 pm
The problem with the Evans fans is they think Evans is entitled to retire as a Buc.
I totally disagree with that reasoning unless he is willing to accept a hometown discount. If not, next man up. We don’t have the money for an over 30 WR that wants to GET PAID. We don’t. The credit card has a limit.
Baker plus Winfield = NO ME
ANd that’s ok. He has made it very clear he wants his MONEY. I don’t see one person asking Mike to be like Tom Brady and take less for the greater good of the team. Why not? Because some of you are way too emotionally invested in a single player. Stop it. If JL can make it work? Awesome.
February 8th, 2024 at 1:16 am
Licht has impressed me with his signings in the recent years. Nobody had him signing Dean and David last year in March. He truly reloaded and has the drafts to prove his worth. Licht needs to draft another Mauch and a compliment to Rachaad White preferably a speedy quick back who can catch and block. I have faith with Licht and staff, one of the best in the league.
February 8th, 2024 at 4:08 am
Dave Pear … ‘The Franchise tag would be a great fit for Baker, except with Winfield and Evans also being so critical, it mucks it up.’
You’re absolutely right Dave, it ‘mucks it up’. To franchise tag ANY player is a horrible option IMO. Yes you ‘own them’ for another year, but it comes at an untenable cost.
First, your team ends up eating the ENTIRE tag amount in terms of salary CAP Hit in the year concerned. In 2024 that’s $36.0 mil for a QB, $21.7 mil for a WR and $17.2 mil for a Safety. For a salary CAP-strapped team like the Bucs, that’s not good.
Second, rarely does the franchise tag amount correspond to a player’s Market Value. Thus you’re either overpaying (bad for the team) or underpaying (bad for the player). Neither is the outcome you want to achieve in good negotiations.
And third, it puts the player on a 1-year ‘prove-it’ basis yet again. In the case of a QB, so much of how they perform is centered around the quality & performance of their supporting cast. Spend too much for 1 player (the QB) and that’s that much less to spend on their supporting cast.
It’s sooo much better to negotiate a FAIR DEAL for all sides IMO. Done right, everyone walks away from the table ‘satisfied’ with the deal AND you get to keep building a TEAM that’ll be competitive for years into the future. We screwed it up already with Mike Evans IMO; let’s not do the same with our other key players.
February 8th, 2024 at 7:58 am
Licht is a really good GM and he won’t let Mike Evans walk
February 8th, 2024 at 10:38 am
DavidBigTraskStan99 Says:
“Fanbois are the idiots.”
Couldn’t agree more.
February 8th, 2024 at 12:40 pm
Good take Optimistic.
February 8th, 2024 at 5:25 pm
Some of you people here need to go start you a Baker Mayfield fan club site. Even when people bring up hard facts about Baker Mayfield playing bad you guys go crazy. Lol 😂 he did choke against the Lions with 2 minutes left that’s not being a Trask fan or a Baker hater that’s the truth. But you guys act like Baker Mayfield is a elite quarterback and he’s not. They have 6 years of proven facts that says he’s not elite and he never would be . Now he’s not a bad quarterback but he’s not great either regardless how you feel about it. Ain’t no other team is looking at Baker Mayfield as their franchise quarterback and I don’t believe the bucs aren’t either. But should he come back another year yes with the right price. The bucs ain’t breaking the bank for no Baker Mayfield and ain’t no other team will break the bank for Baker Mayfield.
February 8th, 2024 at 5:37 pm
What is this Evans fan talk? Why do you guys call people fans of players and not bucs fans? I know we got Baker Mayfield fan boys on here and you can tell who all of them are because all you have to do is say he played bad in games he actually played in and they will go crazy because they can’t criticize him for nothing in the world even if he deserves it. But now it’s Evans fans no it’s real bucs fans on this site not fans of players. If Evans leaves Baker Mayfield will be in trouble next year. But most of us on here are real bucs fans even if we disagree with one another at times. But a lot of people did the same thing when we had Brady and now it’s being done with Baker Mayfield. Now all the Brady fans are gone and I’m so happy about that. Now it’s Baker Mayfield fans and once he leaves or suck next year they will be gone as well. This is why I hope the bucs draft a quarterback this year so we can have our own fan base on here even if we disagree or even argue at times at least it’s with a real bucs fans and they just want what’s best for the team and not one player regardless of position.
February 8th, 2024 at 6:07 pm
OneillBuc,
Wow. A lot to decipher in those two posts. How about this? Mayfield moves on with a 5 year blockbuster deal somewhere else. You get Trask who you have always craved plus a rookie QB selected in 2024 draft. This will set up a QB controversy that you are allowed to arbitrate. You still retain all your rights to endlessly criticize Coach Bowles. That’s what in your words “ what a real Bucs fan” is allowed to do? Whatever that means?
February 8th, 2024 at 8:45 pm
Oneilbuc,
There is a lot to digest in your last two post. Here is a thought, Baker takes a big offer to play elsewhere, you get your boy Trask, and a 2024 rookie QB to mold. That way “ all you real Bucs fans” can have what you desire. The only problem left will be how to resolve your disdain for Coach Bowles. You and the rest of “ real Bucs fans” will solve that one also. Stick with digging ditches.