Insider questions free-agent value of Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield

It sounds like NFL insider Peter King of NBC Sports believes quarterback Baker Mayfield should happily accept any noteworthy offer he receives from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of becoming a free agent in March. 

"While I respect Baker Mayfield saying, 'Well hold on a minute. I gotta know what’s happening with this offense before I, you know, commit to this [Bucs] team,' you gotta have options," King said during Friday's edition of the "Pro Football Talk Live" program, per the JoeBucsFan website. "There’s 32 teams in the NFL. How many of those teams right now are pinging the agent for Baker Mayfield and saying, 'Don’t do anything until you talk to us.' I doubt that that is the case."

King was referencing how Mayfield said at the Pro Bowl Games on Thursday evening that where he signs as a free agent "kind of depends" on how Tampa Bay handles its offensive-coordinating vacancy after Dave Canales left the club to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers. The Buccaneers reportedly will soon hire Liam Coen to replace Canales and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t JoeBucsFan) said during a Friday on-air segment that choosing Coen "really does seem to make the re-signing of Baker Mayfield more likely for the Bucs." 

"What other teams in the NFL right now would pay me something close to the market value contract," King added about Mayfield's alleged mindset, "or somewhere near a market value contract that Tampa will give me?"

While the Los Angeles Rams were the only team to place a waiver claim for Mayfield in December 2022, that was before the 28-year-old became a Comeback Player of the Year candidate with the Buccaneers and before he guided Tampa Bay to a playoff win. The Buccaneers have until the March 5 franchise-tag deadline to convince Mayfield to accept a team-friendly contract, but it seems he should realize he may not necessarily earn all that much more via free agency than what Tampa Bay offers him over the next month.