Baker Mayfield Might Have Lost $12 Million, Legal Battle Brewing With His Own Father

Baker Mayfield invested $12 million. Now, he's trying to figure out where it all went.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and his wife Emily filed a petition Tuesday to begin depositions for a lawsuit against six companies. Two of those companies — Camwood Capital Management Group LLC and Camwood Ventures LP — were founded by Baker's father, James Mayfield.

(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

The couple is asking the companies to turn over financial reports from 2018 to 2023. They want to figure out what happened to the roughly $12 million they invested.

"Petitioners simply do not know if their money has been properly and competently invested, has been stolen or otherwise misappropriated, or something in between," the legal filing reads.

It's not a lawsuit yet. But it could turn into one, depending on how the companies respond.

And $12 million is not a drop in the bucket — even for an NFL quarterback. That's the take-home amount of roughly $20 million after taxes.

Mayfield made $32 million in football income from 2018 through 2021. In 2022, he made roughly $15.5 million. This year, he'll earn $4 million, with up to $4.5 million in incentives.

(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Of course, he has endorsement deals, too — notably with Hulu and Progressive — but that's irrelevant. He still deserves to know where his $12 million went.

"Protecting the money we're earning is No. 1. I've always been one to save it," Mayfield told The Athletic in 2019. "For me, it's protecting the money by surrounding yourself with good people."

Good people, like maybe your dad? Or at least one would think.

Tough situation for Baker. And he's got a quarterback battle to worry about, too.