NFL rumors: Baker Mayfield future in TB, Saints trying to steal C.J. Stroud's guy, Patriots OC interviews

NFL rumors: Bucs and Baker Mayfield have mutual interest in Tampa Bay return

Another surprising team from this past season has been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who not only won the NFC South, but defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round to advance to the Divisional Round. While they're the underdogs in Detroit, the Bucs can't be ruled out from pulling off another upset.

While the Bucs have a very talented roster, they weren't expected to do much in 2023 after Tom Brady retired because they didn't have a clear answer at quarterback. They took a shot signing Baker Mayfield to a cheap one-year deal, and have watched him put together his best season in the NFL.

Mayfield set career-highs across the board, completing 64.3% of his passes 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. Mayfield ranked in the top ten in the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns while ranking 12th with a 94.6 QB Rating. That mark was better than superstars like Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. Mayfield continued to impress in the postseason, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in the Buccaneers win over the Eagles.

With the Bucs exceeding expectations, they've shown interest in bringing Baker back for the 2024 season with Baker reportedly reciprocating according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It looked like the 28-year-old had nowhere to go heading into this season, but he might've found a home long-term in Tampa Bay.