Baker Mayfield: I feel like we can make big strides in Year 2

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns in Detroit on Sunday, but his final pass was caught by Derrick Barnes with just over a minute left and the Bucs lost 31-23.

Mayfield joined the Bucs on a one-year deal as a free agent last year and his first season was a huge rebound after two years with the Browns, Panthers and Rams. Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns during the regular season and then threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff win over the Eagles.

After the game, coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield “definitely earned” a new contract and Mayfield said he likes the idea of ​​spending another year on offense.

“I Love this groupMayfield said on the team's website. “I've said it all year and it's true. It would mean a lot to me, to get a lot of the key pieces back, to put this together again, going into year two in the system. I feel like we can make big strides. I love it. Obviously we We'll see how it goes but I can't say enough about this organization and the opportunity they've given me this year.

“It's too early to talk about” Mayfield's next contract, Bowles said, but it probably won't be long before that becomes the main topic of conversation in Tampa.