Mayfield earns seven-figure bonus with Bucs after securing NFL Playoff spot

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Baker Mayfield guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs and the NFC South title (Image: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Baker Mayfield guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs and the NFC South title (Image: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Baker Mayfield secured a whopping $1 million (£780,000) bonus thanks to his team's achievement on Sunday.

Mayfield played a key role in the Bucs' 9-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the Week 18 contest in the NFL, which resulted in Tampa securing a spot in the playoffs. Mayfield joined the Bucs last year on a one-year deal after spending the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams and the Panthers. He was also on the Cleveland Browns books for five years.

Now, he will have the opportunity to lead the Bucs in the playoffs in the first season of the post-Tom Brady era. His stellar performance against Carolina earned him a bonus in his contract. The deal Mayfield signed last March included a base salary of $4 million (£3.14 million), but it could rise to $8.5 million (£6.6 million) if he meets certain incentives.

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Some of these were confirmed after the win over the Panthers. The victory not only secured the Bucs' place in the playoffs but also clinched the NFC South divisional title. As a result, Mayfield bagged a $1 million bonus in his contract, according to Front Office Sports.

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There are also four more incentives in Mayfield's contract related to his individual performance statistics as a quarterback.

Mayfield could pocket an extra $300,000 (£235,000) each time he ranks in the top 10 in the NFL for total touchdown passes, passer rating, total passing yards, and yards per attempt. These bonuses only apply until the end of the regular season, with the Week 18 game against Carolina being the final chance for Mayfield to earn them.

In the victory over the Panthers, Mayfield threw for a total of 137 yards but didn't manage any touchdown passes or interceptions. However, he still managed to secure some of his contract bonuses.

At the close of the regular season, Mayfield's stats were 7.1 yards per pass attempt (15th), 28 total touchdown passes (7th), 4,044 total passing yards (9th), and a passer rating of 94.6 (12th overall - 9th among quarterbacks with 15 or more games played).

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After Tampa's victory over the Panthers on Sunday, Mayfield explained how much he's been loving his time with the Bucs.

“There’s been a lot in the past couple years that I’ve gone through,” Mayfield told Fox Sports after the game on Sunday. “Just trusting God’s plan and see where it takes me.

"This is the most fun I’ve had playing football in a long time, and I can’t say enough about this organization that I’m with right now. And I’m thankful that we’ve got another week to see what happens in the playoffs and I’m so happy about that.”

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Mark Wakefield

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