There’s a growing narrative that it’s 2026 or bust for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with one last season of Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking the team.
But what if there’s another veteran option who could extend Pittsburgh’s window with the most expensive defense in the league still mostly intact? It’s worth keeping an eye on Baker Mayfield’s situation in Tampa Bay.
I can hear the pushback now. Relying on the Cleveland Browns’ reject? Are you crazy?!
Moving on from Mayfield was one of the Browns’ biggest mistakes. And don’t tell me you wouldn’t enjoy watching Cleveland fans squirm as their former first-round quarterback leads the Steelers to the playoffs while the Browns are still stuck in rebuild mode.
Cleveland was so worried about Myles Garrett returning to the AFC North that they added a condition to their trade with the Los Angeles Rams. But they would have no jurisdiction with Baker Mayfield and his decisions in this case.
Petty rivalry storylines aside, Mayfield is currently in a contract dispute with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it doesn’t appear to be going well.
“Contract stuff is happening, it’s starting, talks and what not, but not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” Mayfield said via FOX Sports’ Greg Auman on X. “I would love to be here long term, but as of right now, that’s not exactly the case…They know my deadline. As soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing any contract stuff.”
Mayfield’s self-imposed deadline gives him about a month and a half to close the gap on a deal that doesn’t sound anywhere close to happening. If they let him enter the season without a deal, they will be forced to either franchise tag him next year or let him enter free agency, where he would be free to sign with any team.
At 31 years old, Mayfield still has plenty of good years left in the league. The Buccaneers had a down year with an 8-9 record, but Mayfield made the Pro Bowl two-straight years before that. He even received MVP votes in 2024.
In total with Tampa, Mayfield has gone 19-15 in the regular season with a 67.9 completion percentage, 8,544 yards, 69 TDs and 26 INTs in three seasons. He also has a pair of playoff wins over the last five years — one with Cleveland and one with Tampa.
McCarthy has a high opinion of Mayfield, which could obviously go a long way toward making this signing a reality.
“He plays with great command, confidence, and that’s something that is one of the first things I look for in his personality and his approach,” McCarthy said via 105.3 the Fan in 2024.
Mayfield helped give the Browns their best season since 1994 (when Bill Belichick was the head coach) before they unceremoniously moved on from him in favor of trading for Deshaun Watson. I’m sure he would love a chance to stick it to the Browns, which served the Steelers well for decades with Ben Roethlisberger.
It would be much more expensive than Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers, but he’s also still in his prime at just 31. Don’t discount Art Rooney II’s desire to remain competitive.
Drew Allar and Will Howard could show enough this offseason to make this idea null and void, and this would only make sense if they have a strong playoff run in 2026.
Another one-and-done playoff season should probably result in blowing things up and pivoting to the future. But if they want to extend their window, Baker Mayfield might be a pretty good option.