DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 21: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers participates in warmups prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on January 21, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

A prominent NFL insider has floated a fascinating scenario that would see a rebuilding AFC team sign Baker Mayfield away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft pieced together a career year for the Buccaneers this season, tossing 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. Mayfield helped Tampa to the NFC South division crown as well as a trip to the NFC Divisional Round, where they fell to the Detroit Lions.

Mayfield made good on the cheap one-year “prove it” deal he signed with Tampa Bay last offseason. Now he stands to get paid handsomely in free agency, be it by the Buccaneers or somebody else.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler suggested the idea of the New England Patriots signing Mayfield away from Tampa Bay, noting that several people in the front office were in Cleveland when the Browns drafted Mayfield six years ago:

“The Patriots submarine the Buccaneers by signing QB Baker Mayfield. While Tampa is the clear-cut favorite to re-sign Mayfield, now a coveted free agent after a banner year with the Bucs, anything can happen in free agency. And the Patriots’ new brain trust — including lead personnel man Eliot Wolf and personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith — were part of the Cleveland regime that took Mayfield No. 1 in the 2018 draft. They believed in him. Yes, the Patriots can take a quarterback at No. 3 overall. But who’s to say they wouldn’t still need a veteran? Or, if they believe Mayfield is a long-term answer in this case, they could draft Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. or trade back for more capital.”

With the No. 3 pick, the Patriots are in position to draft one of the big three quarterback prospects in USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. But if the new front office and coaching staff are believers in Mayfield, there’s certainly a case to be made that the Patriots should use some of their cap space to bring in the 28-year-old.