Baker Mayfield is a bonafide legend in Norman. What he did for the University of Oklahoma will be hard to match for any player to step foot in the Sooners’ facilities, and that’s with him failing to bring a National Championship to the program. Mayfield spent three seasons in Norman after transferring to Oklahoma from Texas Tech.
Mayfield lands three-year, $100 million deal with Tampa Bay
The former Sooner has had a rocky NFL career, which began with so much promise before the league seemingly gave up on him. After a redemption season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — signing for a cheap, one-year contract to succeed Tom Brady — Mayfield secured a large contract to remain in Tampa.
After throwing for 4,044 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and just ten interceptions, Mayfield inked a three-year, $100 million deal to give the franchise some security under center. Obviously, the deal also gives the Oklahoma legend a secure contract for the next three years, but also an opportunity to continue building his reputation as he did a season ago.
When the league was about to fully give up on the 28-year-old, the Buccaneers provided the perfect opportunity for Mayfield to bounce back. On top of a career-year statistically, he led the Buccaneers to a 9-8 record, good enough to win the NFC South and secure a playoff berth. Mayfield also took down another former Sooner quarterback in Jalen Hurts as the Buccaneers routed the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round.
The legendary Sooner builds on legacy
Things haven’t been smooth-sailing since the Heisman winner made the leap from the college football level to the NFL, but the former No. 1 overall pick has seemed to stabilize his career and find his footing in the league for good. While he ended the Cleveland Browns playoff drought, the franchise eventually gave up on him and his value in free agency was shot.
Evidently, Mayfield was destined to secure a $100 million-plus contract, given his star power in Norman many years ago. He posted 14,607 passing yards and 131 passing touchdowns with just 30 interceptions in his college football career. Mayfield now has an opportunity to continue building that legacy as he can now lead a franchise with more security, which didn’t seem so likely a year ago.
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