NEWSLETTER
The NFL opens the doors to a new league year on Wednesday. But first, we get the “legal tampering” period that begins at 11 a.m. CT on Monday. Another league year has come and gone without us finding a better term than the “legal tampering” oxymoron. I’m sorry to disappoint. Guess I’ll go back to the drawing board and hope that I’ve come up with something better when we do this exercises in 2025.
In the meantime, let’s catch up on the quarterback news. It’s juicy.
Baker Mayfield re-signs with the Buccaneers
One of the biggest quarterbacking dominos has fallen. Baker Mayfield won’t make it to free agency this offseason. Instead, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are running it back with their quarterback to the tune of a three-year contract that could pay him up to $115 million. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has the details on that front:
As a casual reminder: The thing that matters most when it comes to NFL contracts is the guaranteed portion. I realize this will mark another year of fighting this losing battle, but I’m stubborn and am going to keep fighting it until guys in suits pull me into a dimly lit back room and force me to stop. So, for Mayfield, the deal essentially boils down to two years and $60 million (h/t Adam Schefter) with a third-year option that could help the total value of the contract to reach $100 million.
Mayfield, 28, earned a Pro Bowl nod after a season in which he threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. It was a break-through year for Baker, who led the Bucs to an NFC South title, playoff berth, and a postseason win. Not bad for a guy who spent the 2022 season toiling for the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams in what was ultimately a lost season after the Cleveland Browns dumped him in favor of Deshaun Watson. Sometimes, getting out of a situation where you’re not appreciated gives you the perspective to shine your brightest when you’re gone.
Mayfield’s bounce-back season with Tampa was a fun story to follow from afar. And now that he is back with the Bucs, it gives us additional clarity when it comes to the quarterback market because Mayfield’s return means one fewer landing spot for Justin Fields. More on that momentarily.
It could go down to the wire with Kirk Cousins, the Vikings, and the Falcons
The next piece that needs to be put into place is Kirk Cousins. And once it finds its spot on the board, the rest of the NFL quarterback puzzle will make sense.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero has the latest:
Pelissero reports that signs are pointing toward Cousins exploring free agency. And while a deal could still come down before that happens, the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos are teams name-checked by the NFL Network reporter as possible interested parties. I don’t know how the Broncos can pursue Cousins while being eleventybillion dollars (give or take) over the cap, but I guess stranger things have happened.
2024 NFL Free Agency: Predicting the Landing Spots on the QB Carousel
But make no mistake. It all starts with the Vikings.
Minnesota has an exclusive negotiating window that expires at 10:59 a.m. CT on Monday morning to lock Cousins into a new deal and keep him from hitting free agency altogether. Cousins seems open to it, as does his coach. But there has been ample chatter hinting at the QB being willing to take his talents to Atlanta. However, the Falcons will have to explore alternative options. Cousins can throw a wrench into the plans of both teams if he waits it out and the fallback options for Minnesota and Atlanta go elsewhere. That would be a heckuva way to create leverage. But it could also backfire if Cousins waits *TOO* long. It all makes for a fascinating follow.
Where does Justin Fields fit on the NFL quarterback carousel?
Reading through this ESPN insider piece by Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano was informative in terms of putting some new perspective on the Justin Fields situation. Three nuggets stood out to me:
“I’m still not hearing anything to convince me the Bear won’t take USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the draft, which means I believe they’ll trade Justin Fields.”
Despite recent scuttlebutt, rumors, and innuendo about Fields’ pending return, experienced NFL insiders from different platforms and outlets continue to circle back to the Chicago Bears using the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Caleb Williams.
With that being said, the other update from the ESPN insiders hints at a return in a Fields trade not being as strong as once believed.
“The idea that Chicago could get a second-round pick for Fields no longer seems likely, but it’s always possible that one of these QB-needy teams will get panicky once other options fly off the board, so it behooves GM Ryan Poles to wait.”
And why isn’t the market moving for Fields? That is where the third nugget comes in, with Graziano reporting that teams “don’t consider Fields more of a sure thing than other potential one-year options such as Sam Darnold or Drew Lock, who wouldn’t come with the fifth-year option decision that Fields’ eventual team will have to make by early May.” OOF! What a sobering sentence that was to read. Re-reading it has me circling back to a thought I had this morning about how the return the Patriots got for Mac Jones doesn’t bode well for what the Bears could get back for Fields. The NFL trade market is fluid, to say the least.
Maybe another NFL team views Fields as more likely to be a starter than Jones. But in a year where there seems to be more supply than demand, the Fields trade market feels wonky. So, as of now, the Bears’ best bet might be to wait it out, see if Cousins joins Mayfield in re-signing with his current team, and allowing teams left in the dark to make a run at Fields.
