Who Should I Start? Baker Mayfield or Cam Ward

Thursday, April 3, 7:26 PM

Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reworked quarterback Baker Mayfield's contract to free up cap space. The Bucs converted Mayfield's $30 million base salary to a roster bonus, freeing up nearly $15 million. The team also added a void year for proration purposes in 2029. Tampa Bay has been resourceful this offseason, moving money around for Mayfield in addition to offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. All in all, the Buccos saved $50.12 million over the next few seasons. It seems unlikely that the money moves are in anticipation of signing a big-ticket asset and more so for down the road. Mayfield is entering his third season with the squad and will look to build off his spectacular 2024.

Tuesday, May 13, 2:53 PM

The Tennessee Titans are working to make rookie quarterback Cam Ward as comfortable as possible in his new NFL offense, according to ESPN's Turron Davenport. Head coach Brian Callahan and company are integrating passing concepts from Miami's offense last season to help expedite the transition from college to the pros for its No. 1 overall pick. "We have it all broken down and put it all in our terminology," Callahan said. "We try to teach our system the way we run it, and then we take input from Cam." The team hopes to replicate the early success of CJ Stroud in 2023 and Jayden Daniels in 2024, and Ward has made a habit of having strong first years in new systems. The Texas native transitioned from a wing-T offense in high school to an air raid scheme as a freshman at Incarnate Word. He then had two fantastic years at Washington State before becoming a Heisman contender in just one season at Miami. While Ward appears to be pro-ready, it's still most common for rookie quarterbacks to have a healthy amount of ups and downs. Additionally, the Titans' pass-catching group, led by Calvin Ridley, is one of the worst in the NFL, so fantasy football expectations for Ward should be tempered in Year 1.