Free Agent QB Baker Mayfield

[kevan]

I'd give 27-30 mil a year some consideration. Maybe if you bring Mike Evans along 27 mil a year would do it. Take care of tackle in the draft. The defense is playoff caliber and even after these moves you would have enough cash to further improve the offense.

A good comparison would be Jared Goff
This strategy could work. Again I'm not saying it's 100% what I'd do but it's worth consideration. Baker was that 1st overall pick everyone seems to be drueling over now he has experience he's been kicked around he's got some moxy players seem to like playing with him. You hear of reports of how he brought energy into that building and locker room. I was impressed with what he did for the rams on short notice too.

I'd consider cousins too but I'm not going over a certain amount of money. 27-30 a year.

Only other option is Jacoby Brissett who would be the cheapest. But seems to be a guy other players respect as well.

 

[PatsFan2]

I thought you just said that no good players will want to play for the Patriots?

In FA I mean if a FA player is all about the $$$$$ he could join the Rebuild. As regards to the Draft it's time for us to Start Drafting and developing good players we suck at that if you haven't noticed especially on Offense.

 

[jmt57]

In FA I mean if a FA player is all about the $$$$$ he could join the Rebuild. As regards to the Draft it's time for us to Start Drafting and developing good players we suck at that if you haven't noticed especially on Offense.

Past history has shown that free agents sign with rebuilding/losing teams every year. Much more so than moving to good/great teams. The bad teams have the cap money; the good teams don't.

In terms of the draft, yes - the Pats are in this position because their drafts have been really bad. That's irrelevant though, since there is a new regime in place.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I'd give 27-30 mil a year some consideration. Maybe if you bring Mike Evans along 27 mil a year would do it. Take care of tackle in the draft. The defense is playoff caliber and even after these moves you would have enough cash to further improve the offense.

A good comparison would be Jared Goff
This strategy could work. Again I'm not saying it's 100% what I'd do but it's worth consideration. Baker was that 1st overall pick everyone seems to be drueling over now he has experience he's been kicked around he's got some moxy players seem to like playing with him. You hear of reports of how he brought energy into that building and locker room. I was impressed with what he did for the rams on short notice too.

I'd consider cousins too but I'm not going over a certain amount of money. 27-30 a year.

Only other option is Jacoby Brissett who would be the cheapest. But seems to be a guy other players respect as well.

Yeah, I like the idea of signing Mayfield to a two-year deal. Get Evans. Draft a QB at 3 (or trade down) and have them sit for a year. Best case is Mayfield plays great for a season and you can keep him for year two or trade him and play the rookie for year two.

 

[EMpats]

Baker Mayfield gets us to the worst place to be in the NFL: 9 win no man’s land. He’s just good enough to sneak into the playoffs, but not good enough to ever compete for a super bowl. Does anyone realistically see Mayfield beating some combination of Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, and Jackson 3 times in a row? Not happening.

 

[Sciz]

McAdoo’s role is interesting too, as the OC for Mayfield’s disaster half season in Carolina. Really, Mayfield and the Panthers were both better off after they released him.

 

[archstanton543]

 

[UrbanCowboy]

Nope on Mayfield. Based on my extensive research (reading this forum)... I'm worried about Daniels, but would take Maye (assuming williams isn't there). If it comes to daniels, I'd try to trade down and build up the roster and do a [cheap] bridge quarterback, not an expensive one.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Based on what Wolf was saying I was thinking Fields, I’ve never seen him sulk or point fingers and he’s very athletic.

As horrible ideas go this one is really tough to beat. Hey guys, they should give up draft picks for a crappy QB that is going to want over 40 million a season 12 months from now. I’m all for it, that’s awesome, who’s with me???

 

[Since1960]

Ouch! Had a good year but $30M for this guy probably not the wisest way to “burn some cash”. Can we hook him up with some Boston TV stations so he can make stupid commercials to earn some extra coin? Seems I recall when he had a decent rookie year he was on TV more than Namath in his prime!

 

[mike_usagisan]

Baker Mayfield gets us to the worst place to be in the NFL: 9 win no man’s land. He’s just good enough to sneak into the playoffs, but not good enough to ever compete for a super bowl. Does anyone realistically see Mayfield beating some combination of Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, and Jackson 3 times in a row? Not happening.

For one season while a rookie learns on the bench doesn't sound so bad. There are no FA QBs who are going to come in and win a Super Bowl. My ideal bridge QB is someone good enough that Mayo doesn't HAVE to bring the rookie in before he's ready to play QB.

 

[DW Toys]

Pass on him too, I’m all in on rolling with a rookie at #3.

Cousin, To not play as a third round pick when we have five or six needs besides a QB?
Risky. Will get Wolf and Mayo fired.
DW Toys

 

[Uptown]

I like Mayfield, but I don’t want to Payfield $40M. If we’re going the FA QB route, they may as well roll with Russell Wilson at vet minimum (which is reportedly what he’s willing to accept) & draft a rookie to develop.

 

[hornetfb85]

Would rather have Gardner Minshew or see if the Bengals would take Zappe and a 5th/6th for Browning.

 

[Ross12]

I could see Baker coming on a 3 year deal with a large signing bonus (let's say $40M) which is also more front-loaded in salary. Let's say $35M per year total due to the terms.

- Year 1: $8M signing bonus pro-ration, $15M salary. Cap hit of $23M.
- Year 2: $8M signing bonus pro-ration, $25M salary. Cap hit of $33M.
- Year 3: $8M signing bonus pro-ration, $15M salary. Cap hit of $23M.
- Year 4 (void year): $8M signing bonus
- Year 5 (void year): $8M signing bonus

In this deal, Baker would get a $40M signing bonus and a $40M guaranteed total salary between his first two years, so he would have $80M total guaranteed which he would receive $55M of in the first year and $25M of in the second year.

This deal would let him make $80M of his $105M in real money in the first two years and then give the team some cap space breathing room in the third year with a lower cap hit of $23M. If they want to release him in year 3, because a drafted rookie QB is ready to go, his salary is not guaranteed so they'd simply either have a dead cap hit of $24M (essentially equal to the cap hit for that year, but freeing up future cap), or release him with a June 1 designation, incurring only an $8M dead cap hit that year and then $16M the year after that.

The team can absorb a $23M hit in 2024 and $33M in 2025, it lets them sit and develop a QB for a few years on the bench, and it gives Baker a lot of cash in a short period of time instead of locking a lot of the money behind backloaded salaries that he won't see for a while or maybe ever. He would hit the market again after 2 or 3 years, and assuming he continued to play well, would cash in again.

Just thinking out loud, but I could see something like this playing out.

 

[PatsFan2]

I could see Baker coming on a 3 year deal with a large signing bonus (let's say $40M) which is also more front-loaded in salary. Let's say $35M per year total due to the terms.

- Year 1: $8M signing bonus pro-ration, $15M salary. Cap hit of $23M.
- Year 2: $8M signing bonus pro-ration, $25M salary. Cap hit of $33M.
- Year 3: $8M signing bonus pro-ration, $15M salary. Cap hit of $23M.
- Year 4 (void year): $8M signing bonus
- Year 5 (void year): $8M signing bonus

In this deal, Baker would get a $40M signing bonus and a $40M guaranteed total salary between his first two years, so he would have $80M total guaranteed which he would receive $55M of in the first year and $25M of in the second year.

This deal would let him make $80M of his $105M in real money in the first two years and then give the team some cap space breathing room in the third year with a lower cap hit of $23M. If they want to release him in year 3, because a drafted rookie QB is ready to go, his salary is not guaranteed so they'd simply either have a dead cap hit of $24M (essentially equal to the cap hit for that year, but freeing up future cap), or release him with a June 1 designation, incurring only an $8M dead cap hit that year and then $16M the year after that.

The team can absorb a $23M hit in 2024 and $33M in 2025, it lets them sit and develop a QB for a few years on the bench, and it gives Baker a lot of cash in a short period of time instead of locking a lot of the money behind backloaded salaries that he won't see for a while or maybe ever. He would hit the market again after 2 or 3 years, and assuming he continued to play well, would cash in again.

Just thinking out loud, but I could see something like this playing out.

The #3 overall waiting Three years to start?? I don't get that if we sign Baker based on age he would have to be the franchise.

 

[Ross12]

The #3 overall waiting Three years to start?? I don't get that if we sign Baker based on age he would have to be the franchise.

#3 overall probably not, but a trade back for another player like McCarthy, perhaps.

 

[Jim Beankie]

I swear I might be the only one here who wants to see Zap as the bridge QB for a year while they draft a QB high-ish.

 

[Tunescribe]

Trade down, fill a couple needs toward building offensive infrastructure. Take a flyer on a rookie QB late-first or later, snag a first-round pick for 2025 in the process. Sign a journeyman QB free agent to hold the fort while the rebuild gets a solid start.

Please, no rookie quarterback savior at No. 3. If the Pats already had a serviceable OL and/or SOME serious weapons it would make sense. With the offense in its current bereft state, it doesn’t.

 

[Jim Beankie]

Baker Mayfield gets us to the worst place to be in the NFL: 9 win no man’s land. He’s just good enough to sneak into the playoffs, but not good enough to ever compete for a super bowl. Does anyone realistically see Mayfield beating some combination of Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, and Jackson 3 times in a row? Not happening.

Last 3 years as a starter, Mayfield was 6-8, 2-8, and 9-8 (and a good playoff game 1-1). That "good enough to sneak into the playoffs" was with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Trey Palmer as his WRs. If he had started on the Pats this past year with everything that was going on, I'm not sure he gets 1 or 2 more than the 4 they ended up getting.