The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought back quarterback Baker Mayfield on a three-year deal that is worth up to $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed after he led the team to the playoffs in 2023, and his teammate, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, raved about his leadership.

“Baker is a guy who you want to run through a wall for,” Calijah Kancey said, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “He's a guy that's going to leave it out on the line. He's very competitive. He's a great guy overall, helps out in the community. He's willing to give his lives to anyone on the team or anyone in general. … He's just a baller. He's a dawg.”

Going into last season, it was unknown whether or not Baker Mayfield had a future as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The former No. 1 pick was traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2022 season, and he did not last the full season with the Panthers. He finished the season with the Los Angeles Rams, which has been reported as beneficial for him, playing under Sean McVay.

Going into last season with the Buccaneers, Mayfield was in a competition for the starting job with Kyle Trask. It became clear pretty early on that Mayfield had the upper hand over Kyle Trask in that competition. When the season started, Mayfield did not look back, leading the Buccaneers to the NFC South title and a playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

It was an interesting season for the Buccaneers, who did not have high expectations after the retirement of Tom Brady. It was a team that was viewed as in transition. Instead, Tampa Bay brought back Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was also extended, and another cornerstone player in tackle Tristan Wirfs is looking for an extension as well. They will try to follow up on this season by taking the NFC South crown once again, beating out teams like the Atlanta Falcons, who upgraded at quarterback with Kirk Cousins.

Calijah Kancey looking to take year 2 leap with Buccaneers

The Buccaneers selected Kancey in the first round of the 2023 draft, hoping that he could bolster the inside of their defensive line. He played at Pitt before coming to the NFL, and is not known as the biggest interior defensive lineman. The hope was for Kancey to join a line that already has Vita Vea to help it become more dominant.

Due to Kancey's stature and the place he played in college, he drew comparisons to Aaron Donald. Obviously, that is an unrealistic expectation. Kancey did not have great grades in his rookie season, but he did show flashes throughout the year.

Hopefully, Kancey can show more consistency going into year two. The Buccaneers have the pieces to be a very good defense if he can join Vita Vea and Antoine Winfield Jr. as cornerstone pieces on that side of the ball. He just has to put things together for a full season.