TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Baker Mayfield is staying in Tampa Bay, according to reports.

On Sunday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Mayfield are “closing in” on a 3-year deal worth $100 million with $50 million guaranteed.

The move comes as Mayfield was set to enter free agency on Wednesday and nearly a week after star wide receiver Mike Evans agreed to a 2-year, $52 million deal with the team.

With Tampa Bay franchise tagging safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay continues to work on keeping its core — something that was a part of general manager Jason Licht’s master plan all along.

“We’re focused on signing ours right now,” Licht said during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine last month. “If we can re-sign Mike [Evans] and Baker [Mayfield] and Lavonte [David] and Chase [McLaughlin] and Antoine [Winfield Jr.] and Tristan [Wirfs], we should be throwing another boat parade. That’s a pretty good class there.”

Mayfield also made it clear following Tampa’s heartbreaking 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round that if he’s back, he wants reliable No. 13 by his side.

“He makes my life easy. He did all year. He did today, over and over,” Mayfield said about Evans. “To get everybody back, there have to be sacrifices made. This team’s about winning. We have a group of guys who are all about that. If I’m back, I want Mike back.”

So, it appears brighter days are heading in Tampa Bay, and fans can expect more success next season.

During Mayfield’s triumphant first year with the Bucs, fans and analysts speculated that Mayfield might have found his “forever home” in Tampa Bay despite his NFL resume.

The former No. 1 overall draft pick has played for four teams since entering the league in 2018: the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Rams before landing in Tampa on a one-year, $4 million deal.

However, in his first year with Tampa, the team matched a franchise record, reaching the playoffs for a fourth straight season and clinching the NFC South for the third year in a row.

Mayfield finished the 2023-24 season completing 364 out of 566 attempts for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The unofficial negotiation process for NFL free agents will begin on March 13, 2024, with the new league year officially kicking off on March 15 at 4 p.m. According to OverTheCap.com, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to have $14,798,670 unofficially in cap space this year.