After months of negotiations ended without a new contract, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield revisited talks over the weekend and were able to hammer out the details to get the deal done.

On Tuesday, the Bucs and Mayfield agreed on a three-year contract extension worth $165 million. Including $40 million from this season, Mayfield now has a total of $150 million in guarantees.

Mayfield's new extension pays him $55 million per year, a significant raise from the three-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2024. His new salary puts him in the same tier as quarterbacks like Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence, which is what Mayfield was looking for.

Now that the long saga has finally come to a happy ending with the Bucs being able to retain the services of their franchise quarterback and Mayfield receiving the "long-term lock-in" he was looking for, what grade does the deal get?

But first, let's look at the ramifications of the extension for both the player and the organization.

After the contract was official, Tampa general manager Jason Licht released a statement about Mayfield's importance to the Bucs, saying the quarterback is "the heartbeat of this team."

"From the moment Baker arrived, he brought a belief and competitive edge that has had a tremendous impact on our football team. He has earned the respect of everyone in our building with the way he prepares, competes and holds himself accountable. His toughness and ability to deliver in big moments are a big part of what makes him special, but what really stands out is the leadership he brings every day. Baker is the heartbeat of this team, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have a quarterback and leader like him."

Mayfield endeared himself to his teammates from the moment he arrived in Tampa. Although Tom Brady, whom Mayfield had the unenviable job of replacing, brought the team and city a Super Bowl title, the 2018 top overall pick was "more relatable" to his teammates. He immediately became one of the guys, and Mayfield was a QB whose teammates would run through a brick wall for.

It could have been devastating for the organization to lose Mayfield in free agency next offseason, especially after losing two franchise legends, Mike Evans and Lavonte David, this offseason.

While Tampa could have used the franchise tag on Mayfield for 2027, the automatic voiding of his current deal would have created about $30 million in dead money, causing his cap hit under the tag to be around $80 million next season.

The Bucs were able to avoid that situation with the new contract.

As for Mayfield, he was extremely disappointed that the Bucs had only offered him a two-year contract before training camp. He wanted a longer-term commitment from the club, saying he felt "disrespected" and "undervalued."

The extra year Tampa finally offered was everything to Mayfield, who was always hoping to remain a Buccaneer. Now he can play the upcoming season without the cloud of a nine-figure contract hanging over his head.

Though it may have taken longer than expected and created some drama that both sides would have been better off without, everyone ended up with the result they had hoped for. 

The extension is a win for Mayfield because it puts him in the upper echelon of QB salaries after his last contract turned out to be an incredible bargain for the Bucs. It also removes any doubt that the team viewed him as a true franchise QB it wanted to attach its future to.

It is also a win for the organization, which no longer has to worry about finding a new quarterback who would be capable of leading a team that has the talent to win now. 

Grade: A-