Despite stalled negotiations and a looming extension deadline, Tampa Bay’s quarterback plans to report for training camp as he seeks a salary mirroring the league's top earners.
The news about Baker Mayfield's contract negotiations sent off alarm bells in Tampa.
Friday's story stated that the quarterback and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are "not anywhere close" to a contract extension, immediately casting doubt on Mayfield's long-term future in Tampa and raising questions about whether the Bucs could make a play to find his eventual successor.
Mayfield has set a firm deadline to agree on an extension. If the two sides can't reach a deal before training camp starts, negotiations will be tabled until the end of the season. With camp set to kick off in roughly six weeks, Mayfield's contract situation should remain a hot-button issue throughout the summer.
Thankfully for the Bucs, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Mayfield is not expect to hold out over his contract issues.
Fowler Gives Updates On Negotiations
On his SportsCenter appearance, Fowler was quick to highlight the fact that 11 NFL quarterbacks currently make over $50 million/year. Fowler believes Mayfield can be realistically thought of as better than "at least a few of them.”
“The conversation is pretty simple. Eleven different quarterbacks in the NFL make at least $50 million a year,” Fowler said. “Mayfield can make the argument that he's better than at least a few of them. So he's gonna need a significant raise."
That is a given. Mayfield is expected to command at least that $50 million/year average if he were to hit the open market, with several teams likely being willing to offer him a salary that would be inside the top-10 for QBs.
Mayfield's current contract, which he signed in 2024, was for three years and $100 million, far below the averages for other franchise quarterbacks. After outperforming his contract, the 2018 top overall pick doesn't seem too interested in giving Tampa a big discount on his next deal.
There was speculation that Mayfield was asking for $65 million per year from the Bucs. However, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times was quick to debunk those rumors, claiming that Mayfield's side has yet to make a counteroffer.
Negotiations Have Not Been Ugly
Fowler suggested on SportsCenter that, because the negotiations between Mayfield and the Bucs are still in the early stages, they have not yet turned ugly.
“This hasn't been an ugly negotiation from my sense,” Fowler said. “It's still relatively fresh and new so it's not like they've been talking for months and hit an impasse. They just have to make some progress based on the initial talks. [The] Bucs are dedicated to try to do this and my sense is Mayfield won't hold out.”
Final Thoughts
While this situation has the potential to become quite worrisome over the next few weeks, having a respected voice like Fowler say he doesn't expect Mayfield to hold out is a positive development. The Bucs still view Mayfield as their long-term quarterback.
Much can change between now and training camp, however. If both sides fail to make any progress soon, the issue risks becoming a huge distraction. Hopefully, Mayfield and the Bucs can resolve this quickly so the 2026 season is the only thing they need to focus on.
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