Falcons reporter addresses possible pursuit of Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has repeatedly been linked in stories with an Atlanta Falcons team that likely will look for an upgrade at the position this offseason. 

Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution seems unconvinced Atlanta will try to "steal" Mayfield away from Tampa Bay next month. 

"I don’t think so," Ledbetter explained during a recent chat with the JoeBucsFan website. "I don’t think they’ve gotten that far on [researching] quarterbacks. Just listening to them today, they don’t sound like they’ve gotten that far on their quarterback search." 

Specifically, newly hired Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson told reporters during his introductory news conference on Wednesday that he was "excited to watch a little bit more of" signal-caller and 2022 third-round draft pick Desmond Ridder in evaluations. Robinson also said that "all options are on the table" regarding Atlanta's unsettled quarterback situation. 

"They are going to look far and wide," Ledbetter added about the Falcons. "But they don’t have that much money if Tampa wants to — but Tampa doesn’t have that much money either — if they got into a bidding war. That is something to watch."

History suggests the salary cap is more pretend than real in the NFL, but money is just one reason it's unlikely Mayfield will relocate from Tampa Bay to Atlanta before this year's draft. 

For starters, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht can always retain Mayfield's rights for 2024 via the franchise tag before the Mar. 5 deadline for such decisions if necessary. 

Mayfield also hasn't been shy about openly discussing his fondness for the Buccaneers, and he reportedly played a part in the club hiring Liam Coen as its new offensive coordinator. 

Mayfield worked with both Coen and Robinson when all three were associated with the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of the 2022 season, so the 28-year-old should have some familiarity with the offense installed by Robinson later this year. 

It's unclear if Robinson covets Mayfield's services, but it probably won't matter considering Licht can utilize the tag as even a placeholder if he and the quarterback's camp need to continue negotiations beyond Mar. 5.