Why Buccaneers believe contract can bring out best of Baker Mayfield

Some believed when the 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 4-7 that quarterback Baker Mayfield had no long-term future with the organization, as he signed a one-year "prove it" deal with the club in March of last year. 

Mayfield then guided the Buccaneers to a postseason journey en route to earning a new three-year contract that kept him in Tampa Bay. Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis believes that agreement could help the 29-year-old produce yet another stellar campaign with the franchise. 

"When you're in a 'prove it' state of mind, and you've been let go a couple times, you just kind of keep your head down and grind," Lewis recently told Jenna Laine of ESPN. "Now (Mayfield is) the guy that knows this is his locker room and he's bringing guys along with him. He's trying to get guys on the same page. You just see the confidence level and the weight lifted off his shoulders, that he's found a home -- this is his home."

Both the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers discarded Mayfield in 2022, and he ultimately completed a cup-of-coffee stint with the Los Angeles Rams late that season before Tampa Bay gave him a chance to compete with 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask last summer. The 2023 Buccaneers then went from 3-1 to 4-7 before Mayfield won five of his final six regular-season starts and before he notched a 32-9 wild-card playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Unlike last offseason, when Mayfield had to show his worth to a new employer, he was able to spend the past handful of months building additional chemistry with teammates who know he's their QB1 until further notice. 

"(Now) he's moving in the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield and making plays on the run, which I think is one of his best attributes," Lewis said about improvements Mayfield has made since the Buccaneers suffered a 31-23 divisional-round loss at the Detroit Lions in January. "... That makes the defense (play more honest, with) an extra guy they got to cover that they don't account for. ... I was like, 'OK, cool. You're taking that next step.'"

Mayfield "taking that next step" could eliminate chatter about the Buccaneers possibly moving on from his contract as soon as March 2025. In short, the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft still has plenty to prove even though he's seemingly found a home with Tampa Bay.