2. Baker Mayfield, 2024 free agent
Baker Mayfield has quietly played pretty well this year. Through eight games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield has completed a career-high 64.9% of his passes for 1,865 yards, 12 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 92.7.
Mayfield has really done well this year, and I'm happy for him after the Cleveland Browns kind of disposed of him a couple of years ago. Anyway, Mayfield seems to have settled into that bridge QB role, and he could hold that role for the New England Patriots in 2024. Mayfield's 3:1 TD:INT ratio is very good, and he's helping lead an offense score 20 points per game without much of a running game to speak of.
Mayfield isn't going to come into the organization and cement himself as the long-term starter, but his tenure with the Buccaneers so far has gone well, and he's playing his way into a solid low-end starter type of payday. The Pats would be wise to explore this possibility.