Despite outperforming his current deal, Tampa Bay’s signal-caller faces a looming training camp deadline to secure a long-term future before shutting down negotiations to focus on football.
The news surrounding a potential contract extension for Baker Mayfield is not good.
According to Mayfield, he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are "not anywhere close" in negotiations. For the Bucs' quarterback, entering his fourth season with the team, the upcoming season marks the final year of the three-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2024.
Mayfield has clearly outperformed his contract and has earned a significant raise on his next deal. Per OverTheCap, the 2018 top overall pick is the NFL's 16th-highest paid QB. The top 11 all average over $50 million in average annual value.
First Public Comments From Mayfield
On Friday, Mayfield gave his first public comments of the offseason. When speaking about his contract, Mayfield stressed how much he and his family love the city and that he has a desire to stay in Tampa for the long-term. However, his disappointment over the negotiations was easy to notice.
"We'd love to be here long-term. And as of right now, that's not exactly the case, but I'm under contract for 2026," Mayfield said. "And the guys in that locker and the staff know that I'm still going to be me. I'm still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. And to me, that's the priority. Everything else will take care of itself."
Another important nugget in Mayfield's comments was that the QB has set a clear deadline to reach an agreement before cutting off negotiations until after the season. Bucs' general manager Jason Licht has, on multiple occasions, stated that the team wasn't using any specific timeline to get a deal done. However, Mayfield has a self-imposed deadline of training camp to reach an agreement.
"Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline: As soon as training camp starts, we're not doing any contract stuff. It's all ball," Mayfield expressed. "It's not up to me when that gets done by. So hopefully before that. If not -- still going to have a good year."
Bucs Entering Dangerous Territory
The Bucs would be entering dangerous territory if they allow their QB to play the 2026 without reaching a long term extension. Mayfield would have no shortage of interested teams were he to hit the free agent market in 2027. Quarterbacks of Mayfield's caliber usually don't become available, and there would be several franchises potentially willing to give him upwards of $50 million/year.
Tampa could always use the franchise tag on Mayfield for 2027 if they can't reach an extension. Doing so could damage the team's relationship with Mayfield, but would provide more time to agree to terms. However, it would come with a huge cap hit in 2027.
Final Thoughts
Mayfield sounds like he wants to stay in Tampa, but it doesn't appear that he will be giving the Bucs any sort of discount, especially after providing surplus value on his last contract. Licht is going to have to shell out some serious money if he hopes to retain Mayfield.
The partnership between Mayfield and the Bucs has worked out tremendously for both parties. Tampa has been able to remain competitive and not have to go through a multi-year phase after former QB Tom Brady retired. For Mayfield, he was able to rejuvenate his career with the Bucs. After his unceremonious exit from the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield bounced around the league before being given an opportunity in Tampa.
Hopefully, the Bucs and Mayfield will find common ground before the training camp deadline. Both player and team are a perfect fit for one another. While it doesn't seem like the negotiations have reached a contentious impasse yet, training camp is only a few weeks away.
The clock is ticking.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
