Mayfield Gets His Money. The Defensive Line Is the Next Question.

The Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension on Tuesday, closing out the messiest offseason storyline in Tampa Bay in years. From Mayfield shutting down talks in August, to Licht going public with his optimism last week, to the deal landing days before the opener — it got there eventually. The quarterback situation is settled.

That clears the way to notice what isn't. Pat O'Connor retired in July, and while Vita Vea is back on a one-year deal, the interior pass rush beyond him is thin. Yaya Diaby and Calijah Kancey are next on the depth chart, and rookie Rueben Bain Jr. — who figures into the edge rotation — is listed as questionable after an AC sprain in late August. That's a lot of uncertainty behind one player on a one-year contract.

Vea's deal buys time, not a solution. My read is that the defensive line succession question is the one this roster hasn't answered, and it'll matter more if the Buccaneers find themselves in close games again — which, given last December, is not a small concern.