Tampa Bay’s playoff prospects range from hosting a first-round game as the NFC’s No. 3 seed to missing the playoffs entirely. But there’s one factor that might prove valuable in at least getting the Buccaneers into the postseason: Money.
Baker Mayfield’s contract has $1.5 million worth of incentives should he finish among statistical leaders in three categories this season. According to FS1, he’ll earn $500,000 if he finishes among the NFL’s top 10 in completion percentage, another $500,000 if he finishes among the league’s top 10 in yards per pass attempt, and another half-million should he rank in the top five in passer rating. Entering Saturday’s games, Mayfield ranks third with a 70.9 completion percentage, tied for eighth with 7.7 yards/pass and sixth with a 103.5 rating.
“That’s some nice Christmas holiday money that he can lock up over the next two weeks,” said former head coach Eric Mangini on First Things First Thursday.
Mangini said Mayfield faces two obstacles in securing those incentives: Tampa Bay (8-7) needs to run the ball to win its last two games while hoping a Falcons loss will get the Bucs in the playoffs, and the Buccaneers have a tricky opponent, Carolina (4-11), on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
“The Carolina Panthers, also now known as the Carolina Reapers,” Mangini said. “When you lose to them, people change addresses. … They got an assistant coach fired, they got a head coach fired, they got a quarterback benched. They sent a whole team home. Carolina is coming.”
Indeed, the Raiders fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and other assistants a few weeks after losing to the Panthers in Week 3. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen after a 23-22 loss to Carolina in Week 9. One week later, quarterback Daniel Jones’ last appearance in a Giants uniform was a 20-17 loss to the Panthers in Germany. And just last week, the Panthers eliminated the Cardinals from the playoffs.
Two weeks ago at Carolina, the Bucs needed an Anthony Nelson forced fumble in overtime to escape with a narrow win.
Mayfield and the Bucs are walking into a minefield – a homefield. Hoping to close their home slate on a positive note, the Bucs are just 3-4 at Raymond James Stadium this season as they prepare to host the Panthers this week and the Saints in the season finale.
One of the streakiest teams in the league this year, Tampa Bay also hopes its disappointing 26-24 loss last week at Dallas wasn’t the start of another losing streak. After opening the season 4-2, the Bucs lost four straight from Weeks 7-10. Then, after a Week 11 bye, they rebounded to win four straight.
The loss to the Cowboys stripped Tampa Bay of its ability to control its path to the NFC South title. Because Atlanta (8-7) swept the two-game season series with the Bucs, the Falcons can clinch the division on Sunday night at Washington – if the Bucs slip up against the Panthers earlier Sunday afternoon.
For more information on the Bucs and Panthers, visit the Tampa Bay and Carolina team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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