AI Summary
5 min readBaker Mayfield’s $55 Million Question
The NFL’s quarterback market has reached a point where Baker Mayfield—the same player who was dumped by Cleveland, cut by Carolina, and playing on a one-year prove-it deal in Tampa Bay two years ago—just signed a three-year extension worth up to $165 million, averaging $55 million per season. As Ben Maller put it on his Fox Sports Radio show: “We live in a world where Baker Mayfield is a $55 million a year quarterback. Let that settle in.”
The Disrespect Card and the Blink
Mayfield spent training camp acting insulted by Tampa Bay’s initial offer, cutting off negotiations and climbing what Maller called “Mount Principal.” He planted his flag, declared the previous proposal disrespectful, and then—once $165 million materialized—came “sledding right back down.” Maller’s diagnosis was blunt: the NFL has so much money that “you genuinely have to try to not get paid,” and Tampa Bay got drunk on quarterback inflation. Mayfield is “like a really good hamburger,” Maller said—solid, but not premium. The Buccaneers paid premium prices because the NFL imposes a scarcity tax on quarterbacks, and teams with a competent starter will overpay rather than search for an unknown.
Worker Bee, Not Queen Bee
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What you'll learn
- 1 (03:32) **Baker Mayfield's Mega-Extension** - Ben opens the show with the news that Baker Mayfield signed a three-year extension with Tampa Bay worth up to $165 million, averaging $55 million per season.
- 2 (13:00) **Is Baker Mayfield a True Franchise Quarterback?** - Ben digs deeper, questioning whether Mayfield is worth the $55 million price tag as a franchise quarterback.
- 3 (16:50) **Aaron Donald Skips Rams Season Opener** - Ben reports that Aaron Donald will not play in the Rams' season opener against the 49ers in Melbourne, staying behind in Los Angeles.
- 4 (29:56) **LSU Faces Possible SEC Expulsion Over Lane Kiffin** - Ben shifts to college football, reporting that LSU faces a vote on Thursday to potentially terminate its SEC membership over a dispute involving former NFL players returning to college.
- 5 (38:37) **Alex Rodriguez Says He Won't Be Invited Back to Yankee Stadium** - Ben discusses A-Rod's claim that he doesn't expect to be invited back to Yankee Stadium for future Old Timers' Day events.
- 6 (43:20) **MLB Expansion and the Return of the Montreal Expos** - Ben covers the possibility of MLB expansion, with Montreal as a leading candidate to bring back the Expos.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Big Ben discusses Tampa Bay caving and giving Baker Mayfield $55M a year in his new deal and Lane Kiffin being in big trouble at LSU + a new edition of Maller to the Third Degree!
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