Baker Mayfield Has Leverage, Despite what Adam Schefter Says
It gets harder and harder to trust the integrity of the most prominent NFL Insider. Baker Mayfield proves that.
While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, ESPN/NFL Insider Adam Schefter spoke about Baker Mayfield’s contract situation.
“The issue is that I don’t think [Baker Mayfield] is going to hit the market.” Schefter said. “Tampa’s got the franchise tag next year to the tune of $47 Million, which by the way, is less than they offered him on a two year basis, on the extension they offered him, which was over $50 Million each year.”
Schefter went on to explain that the Buccaneers could franchise tag Baker Mayfield the year after next as well, for another $57 Million by his estimate.
Here’s why Adam Schefter’s analysis bothers me.
There is no way in Hell he doesn’t understand how void years work. Per spotract, Baker Mayfield has $30.15 Million that will hit the Buccaneers salary cap in 2027 if they don’t get a new deal done. If the Buccaneers tag Mayfield, by Schefter’s own number, that would mean adding another $47 Million, on top of the $30.15 Million. Meaning Baker Mayfield alone would count $77.15 Million against the 2027 salary cap.
For a team currently projected to have a little over $26 Million in cap space in 2027, that’s a major hit that would require the Buccaneers to find a way to offload significant talent.
The reality is that Adam Schefter has to understand the salary implications of tagging Mayfield. It’s just not possible for someone who’s been the top NFL Insider for as long as he has, to be so obtuse when it comes to matters involving the salary cap.
Your question: Why would Schefter push a narrative that makes the Buccaneers look good, and Mayfield look bad?
My answer: Schefter’s been on the side of the owners for years, even before the NFL acquired 10% of ESPN.
Like the time Adam Schefter emailed a story to, then, Washington Redskins’ Owner Dan Snyder for approval, prior to publishing it.
Or the time that Schefter became an investor in a sports betting company called Boom Entertainment, with Patriots’ Owner Robert Kraft. Schefter’s also an investor in another sports gambling company called Underdog.
Or the very recent time when Schefter worked with the 49ers to control the release and narrative of a very serious Kyle Shanahan car accident.
Or the countless times Schefter posted bogus contract numbers because the inflated, and impossible to achieve number made the agent and team look better.
One of my new hobbies is commenting the real/guaranteed numbers on those posts.
Which brings me to the next part of Schefter’s reporting that bothers me. When he said the team offered Mayfield $50 Million a year, it doesn’t mean the team actually offered Mayfield $50 Million a year. It means they offered him somewhere between $0.01 and $50 Million a year, because we don’t know what was guaranteed in that offer.
Because Shefter always gives us the inflated number, you can’t trust any specific figure he reports, unless it includes the word “guaranteed”. $50 Million a year could be real. It’s more likely somewhere between $25 Million and $45 Million.
I’m offering $50 Million to every single one of you that subscribes to Seattle Mike on YouTube, $0.00 guaranteed.
-Written by Seattle Mike