THE BUCCANEERS EXTEND BAKER MAYFIELD TO A 4-YEAR $164M CONTRACT, INCLUDING $84M FULLY GUARANTEED. TAMPA SIGNS SAM DARNOLD TO A 1 YEAR, $2M CONTRACT TO SOLIDIFY THE ROOM.”

Sam Darnold Has Been Remade as a Top Backup

Darnold, of course, is a familiar name to NFL fans, having been the No. 3 overall pick of the Jets in 2018. He languished there for three seasons, and spent another two-plus years in Carolina, posting a record as a starting quarterback of 21-34 for teams that have been shown to be bad since his departure. He has resuscitated his reputation in San Francisco, where coach Kyle Shanahan has praised him as a backup.

Darnold has a career quarterback rating of 78.2 He has thrown 61 touchdowns and 55 interceptions in the NFL. Back in September, on the eve of the opening of the season, CBS Sports rated the top backup quarterbacks in the league, and Darnold was No. 3.

Earlier this year, when Brock Purdy was dealing with a concussion, ESPN commentator and ex-QB Dan Orlovsky noted that the 49ers would be “fine” with Darnold in place of Purdy.

“I think they will be just fine with Sam Darnold,” he said. “I have constantly believed that if Sam Darnold was placed on a team that is similar to San Francisco, he would play worthy of that top draft pick. This young man has been weathered, he has been through it all, he is the most talented quarterback, physically, that Kyle Shanahan has had in that offense, at least since Matt Ryan.

“So that’s six or seven years. Out of all due respect for Brock Purdy, he’s a really good player, this offense will be just fine with Sam Darnold.

Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield Needs Insurance

Perhaps the Buccaneers quarterback situation will be similar with a Baker Mayfield-Sam Darnold combo. Darnold would not beat out Mayfield for the starting job, of course, but in case of injury, Darnold would keep them above water, especially if the Bucs keep wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin around.

The Buccaneers quarterback spot provided great value with Mayfield this season, both as a passer and as a leader in the locker room. He will be a lot more expensive next year, and it would behoove the Bucs to make sure they’ve got a quality insurance policy behind him.