Evaluating Bucs’ 2023 Free Agent Additions
The Bucs didn’t have much money to work with this past offseason. Facing the financial hangover of a three-year Super Bowl window binge, the sobering reality had finally sunk in. Tampa Bay would need to make some responsible decisions in order to help reset their salary cap for 2024 and beyond.
This made for slim pickings in terms of the free agents they could afford/pursue. But they still had several holes on their roster they would need to fill and only so many draft picks to help. So, Jason Licht and the Bucs would need to find players who could contribute a decent bang for a very small buck
Now as we evaluate these signings a bit more than half-way through the season it is important to grade them through the lens of the stated goals for the franchise: compete for the NFC South title in 2023.
If your argument is “the signing is bad because it prevented proper evaluation of another player” OR “the signing was bad because it prevented the team from properly tanking for a high draft pick” your issue should be with that strategy rather than the signing itself. That’s the topic of another article/conversation.
QB Baker Mayfield
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Love him or hate him, Baker Mayfield has delivered starter-level play for backup money at the quarterback position for the Tampa Bay this year. For the low-low price of just $4 million Mayfield ranks 14th in the league in passing yards and touchdowns and he is tied for the 11th fewest interceptions thrown by qualifying quarterbacks. He is 18th in offensive grade for quarterbacks from Pro Football Focus.
While his underlying metrics are a bit more worrisome (he has more turnover-worthy plays than big time throws) and the sack avoidance he showed at the beginning of the season has come crashing back to earth as injury and sample size have worked against him, there is no doubt he has played as a Top 15-20 quarterback this year. And he has done all of this with a contract that’s average annual value is tied for the 37th highest in the league. That is the definition of backup money.
Here is but a small sampling of other quarterbacks with the same or greater AAVs (average annual value) than Mayfield currently: Jameis Winston, Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Taylor Heinicke, Marcus Mariota and Bryce Young. Mayfield has far outperformed all of these other players.
But how has he performed against other options that were available in the Bucs’ price range? There were six other veteran signal-callers who were available in free agency who all signed for similar deals. Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Gardner Minshew, Teddy Bridgewater, Taylor Heinicke and Marcus Mariota. All signed to be backups and so they will not compare in counting stats to Mayfield, who was signed to be the Bucs’ presumed starter.
