Timeline for when Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield may sign deal revealed

There's more information regarding why some close to Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht sound convinced that the team will sign quarterback Baker Mayfield to a new contract before the window for teams to use their franchise tags closes on the afternoon of March 5. 

"Things should heat up next week at the combine in Indianapolis, where the expectation is that Mayfield's agent and the Bucs will meet," Jenna Laine of ESPN said in a piece published on Thursday. "That's usually where the groundwork is laid for hammering out new deals with current players." 

Buccaneers senior advisor Bruce Arians and Hall of Famer Ronde Barber are among individuals with strong ties to the organization who have insisted this winter the club will hold onto Mayfield even though Tampa Bay also would like to keep potential free agents such as wide receiver Mike Evans, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and linebacker Lavonte David. It was reported earlier this week that Tampa Bay would prefer to use the franchise tag on Winfield rather than on Mayfield or Evans, but logic suggests Licht is saving the tag just in case he needs it for the signal-caller who guided the club to a playoff victory this past January. 

Former agent and current CBS Sports NFL contracts and salary-cap expert Joel Corry mentioned on Wednesday that Mayfield's camp may want to better the four-year contract that could be worth up to $160M that New York Giants starter Daniel Jones signed last March. Laine suggested Mayfield would decline an offer similar to the three-year deal worth as much as $105M that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith agreed to last offseason.

"Mayfield is 28, whereas when Smith signed his deal with the Seattle Seahawks last spring, he was 32," Laine explained. "Mayfield's also won two career playoff games now, which provide some justification for driving the price up." 

The Giants went down to the final minutes before they signed Jones to a deal that allowed them to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley. Licht probably would prefer to avoid a similar situation, but the overall point remains that he wouldn't necessarily have to panic if Mayfield began the first Monday of next month on track to reach free agency.