Baker Mayfield's future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is shaping up to be one of the hottest topics of the offseason, and now an anonymous NFL executive has weighed in with a compelling blueprint for the team's next move.

Speaking to longtime NFL insider Jason La Canfora, the unnamed personnel executive suggested the Buccaneers should model Mayfield's extension after the deal Sam Darnold recently signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The comparison is striking—and it comes with a Super Bowl-sized payoff.

Last March, the Seahawks inked Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract featuring $55 million in guaranteed money. Just months later, Seattle hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Now, Mayfield is entering the final year of a nearly identical contract: three years, $100 million with $50 million guaranteed.

"I think there are some similarities with the players," the executive told La Canfora. "You worry about the interceptions, can they get you over the top? It's not totally similar, and Darnold was on the market, and this is an extension. That's the structure I would be looking at."

The numbers back up the comparison. Darnold finished last season with 25 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions, and 4,048 passing yards. Mayfield posted one more touchdown pass and three fewer interceptions, though his yardage dipped to 3,693. Both quarterbacks have proven they can lead a winning team, but questions about consistency remain.

This isn't the first time these two signal-callers have been linked. In the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield went first overall to the Cleveland Browns, while Darnold was selected two picks later by the New York Jets. Neither lived up to the "franchise savior" label with their original teams.

Mayfield spent four seasons in Cleveland, highlighted by leading the Browns to their first playoff win in over 25 years during the 2021 season. But the organization ultimately moved on, trading for Deshaun Watson—a decision Mayfield has not forgotten. Darnold's tenure with the Jets was even shorter, as he was traded to the Carolina Panthers before his rookie contract even expired.

Now both quarterbacks have found new homes and new opportunities. For the Buccaneers, the question is whether to lock in Mayfield now or wait. With a Super Bowl window still open in Tampa Bay, the executive's suggestion offers a high-stakes path forward—one that balances big guaranteed money with the pressure to deliver a championship run.