Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has had an interesting career arc since being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2018. He was pushed out after an injury with the Browns, who decided to go a different direction with Deshaun Watson, and he eventually found himself with the Panthers before that didn’t work out. Following his stint in Carolina, Baker ended the 2022 season with the Rams, starting four games.

Following the 2022 season, Mayfield was looking for a new home and Tampa Bay was looking for life sans Tom Brady. The two signed a one-year, prove-it deal and Mayfield came through in 2023 to earn himself a contract extension with the Bucs this past offseason.

Now, in his second season in Tampa Bay, Mayfield has posted career highs in several quarterback categories and holds numerous top 10 or top 5 spots across the entire league. During the signing of his most recent contract, Baker is set to make a large sum of money once the regular season closes as the incentives within that contract include $500k each if he finishes in the NFL top 10 or NFC top five in key passing stats, per FOX Sports’ Greg Auman.

Baker’s contract helped the team stay cap-friendly, but a nice $2.5 million in incentives will make up for anything he didn’t get initially. Mayfield is enjoying the best year of his career under first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen and has been a huge reason why the Bucs currently sit at 9-7 with a great chance of winning the NFC South for a fourth consecutive year.

The Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield will look to carry over their momentum from Week 17 and put a bow on their playoff berth when they face off against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.