Death, taxes, and the NFC South being wide open. Those are the three guarantees in life. The Atlanta Falcons may be getting overlooked in terms of their suitability as the potential division champs, but it wouldn't be all that surprising if any of the four NFC South teams hosted a playoff game in 2026.
The only issue is that Falcons are home to their fair share of quarterback drama because of the competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. And we're still weeks away from knowing who Atlanta's Week 1 starter will be, and regardless, both signal-callers are expected to start games.
Luckily, they may not be the only NFC South team dealing with some issues under center. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found their franchise guy in Baker Mayfield, but his future in Tampa Bay might come into question because a gap in early extension negotations could expose a major crack in their armor.
Baker Mayfield's future with the Bucs is starting to come into question
The 31-year-old is entering the final year of a three-year contract extension signed in 2024, and is ready to land another lucrative extension to remain with the Bucs for years to come. But he told the media that the two sides are at an impasse in negotiations, an an extension is "not anywhere close".
“Not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” Mayfield said. “Would love to be here long term but as of right now that’s not exactly the case. But I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room, the staff know that I’m still gonna be me. I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself. “
Mayfield has made it clear that he wants to stay in Tampa Bay, but this is Baker Mayfield we're talking about. He'll command well over $50 million a year on a new deal, and his ego won't quit until he receives the deal he wants. And this basically means that he has the Bucs boxed into a corner.
Jason Licht has no choice but to pay him or else they'll be back to square one at the position just like the Dirty Birds. I'm sure a deal will get done eventually, but Falcons fans should want to see the former No. 1 pick keep complaining to the media, since Baker can dash their playoff hopes real fast.
Even though the offseason additions of the Panthers and Saints are generating more attention, the Bucs are the Falcons' biggest threat to the division crown. And if Baker Mayfield is out of the picture, that could open the door for Atlanta to do some damage--and potentially win the NFC South.
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