Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield: 'We Call Tampa Home Now'

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield spoke at length about his new deal with the team, his love for Tampa Bay and his motivations going forward.

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't know Tampa Bay was getting Mike Evans back until he signed. But a few weeks before that, when Mayfield was out of town, he got a text from the Bucs receiver. It was a simple question.

"We doing this, or what?" 

And now, a simple answer: Yes. Yes, they are.

Mayfield was in Tampa Bay Wednesday along with general manager Jason Licht to officially sign his new deal with the Buccaneers, holding a press conference just like Evans did the week prior when he also returned to the squad before free agency hit. His sentiments were similar, but there was one key difference — where Evans has been in Tampa Bay his whole career, Mayfield will be entering his second year in the city, but he's more than ready to embrace it.

BREAKING: Super Bowl Champion Safety Rejoining Buccaneers in Free Agency

"I'm very thankful for this opportunity, and we call Tampa home now," Mayfield said in his opening statement. "[We're] welcoming another key piece to the family — adding a little girl to the family here pretty soon — just a lot of really exciting things for us. We're really really blessed and can't say enough."

Mayfield stressed during his press conference that the idea was to stay in Tampa Bay this offseason — in fact, he admitted that he and his wife loved the community so much that they had planned to make the city their home in the offseason regardless. Quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins received a lot more money in free agency to go to another destination, and while Mayfield did say he had to think about "Plan B" during the offseason, he overall wasn't (and still isn't) concerned about that.

"Listen, this is life-changing money. I'm not going to act like otherwise," Mayfield told reporters. "There's nothing to be ashamed about. There's nothing to say 'Oh, well he got more," it's not that mentality. Knowing that we have a chance to bring back some key pieces and make a further run in the playoffs, that's important to me."

Of course, Mayfield is getting paid. He's signed a three-year deal that could potentially net him over $100 million, a contract he stressed was something he's worked his whole life to get to. It's the first big extension of his career, and it came with Tampa Bay.

That being said, though, don't expect it to make Mayfield lax. He's a competitor, and he assured media on Wednesday that he'll continue to be so after getting his payday this offseason.

"Just knowing the people that we have in this building, we set our own standard – we know what our own expectation is. We know the pieces that we have. We’re capable of winning a Super Bowl," Mayfield said. "Once you get a taste of losing in the playoffs, it makes you driven even more."

Finally, it isn't just the football field and the organization itself that makes Tampa Bay home for Mayfield. He spoke at length about the community and the fans in the area and how much that factored into him re-signing with the Bucs.

"Just seeing the passionate fans – the ones that talk about going to the ‘Old Sombrero,’ the ones that have been fans for a long time and have stuck it out through the thick and thin – that’s what makes it special, the people that are traditional fans, Mayfield said. "People are really, really passionate about their sports and it gives us an opportunity to really make a difference in the long run."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Moving On From Veteran Wide Receiver

You can follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook