Baker Mayfield No. 78 Most Important
July 1st, 2026
Important.
Look out Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht. Your question to re-up Baker Mayfield just got more important.
Over at CBS, Zachary Pereles (any relation to George Pereles?) decided to put together a list of his 100 Most Important Players. Not the 100 best, but 100 most important. There is a difference.
For example, Jeffery Simmons of Tennessee might be the best nose tackle in the NFL. But Tennessee can lose just as easily without him.
So why does Licht now have more pressure to extend Mayfield? Per Pereles, Mayfield is the No. 78 Most Important Player in the NFL.
Quietly, Mayfield is a pending free agent next offseason. He was off to a tremendous start in 2025 before a couple of injuries set him back. Though he started all 17 games, he clearly wasn’t the same. Now, without Mike Evans and with Zac Robinson entering as offensive coordinator, Mayfield has a pivotal season ahead, both for him and for Tampa Bay.
Joe doesn’t believe there is any chance Mayfield invokes Operation Shutdown and walks out of training camp or threatens to sit out the season.
Not only has Mayfield said that won’t happen, that is just not in his DNA. Mayfield is a team-guy first and his best friends off the field block for him on the field. Joe just cannot see Mayfield doing a No. 1 on his best friends.
But yeah, getting Mayfield to sign on the dotted line sure is important to accomplish before the free agency dinner bell rings in March.