Former Buccaneers QB shares brutal Baker Mayfield assessment

Quarterback Baker Mayfield guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC South division title and a home playoff victory in his first season with the organization, but former Buccaneers signal-caller and current NFL analyst Shaun King nevertheless doesn't want the club to go all-in on signing Mayfield to a massive contract this offseason. 

"I don’t think I can win a Super Bowl with Baker," King recently told Kyle Odegard of BettingOdds.com. "I think I can be good with Baker. I can be a team that competes for an NFC South division title, and if it all falls right, we can win a game in the playoffs. But I don’t think I can win a Super Bowl with Baker. And this isn’t a knock on Baker. This is me being honest about what else is out there, and what you have to overcome to win a championship."

Like a Buccaneers team that went from 3-1 to 4-7 before it ultimately finished with a 9-8 record, Mayfield endured an up-and-down campaign but then produced a pair of stellar postseason performances. 

In the 32-9 wild-card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Mayfield completed 22 of 36 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He then connected on 26 of 41 attempts for 349 yards with three scores and two interceptions in the 31-23 divisional-round loss at the Detroit Lions. 

One of Mayfield's picks against the Lions occurred on a catchable throw that was tipped high into the air. The other happened when Tampa Bay was going for a late game-tying drive. 

"I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole myself contractually into living in the past, which would be: Baker outperformed what we thought, now we’ve got to pay him what other starting quarterbacks are getting when they hit free agency," King said about the 28-year-old set to reach the open market in March. 

King added that the Buccaneers should try to sign Mayfield "to a two-, three-year deal where the team has the leverage on the backside of it" before the club selects "the right young quarterback" in this year's draft. 

For what it's worth, assistant general manager John Spytek has hinted the Buccaneers won't package overall pick No. 26 with other assets to move up in the draft order with a signal-caller in mind. 

The Buccaneers reportedly could soon hire an offensive coordinator who has a positive working history with Mayfield, and the club has until the Mar. 5 deadline to use the franchise tag on any player. 

It's thought Tampa Bay may offer Mayfield a contract similar to the four-year deal reportedly worth up to $150M that New Orleans Saints starter Derek Carr signed last offseason. 

"But do I want to marry myself to Baker Mayfield? No," King directly said. 

It remains to be seen if Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht agrees with such takes.