The upcoming free agencies of Baker Mayfield and YaYa Diaby will have a huge impact on the Bucs' ability to retain guard Cody Mauch, who has become an invaluable player for Tampa.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have several difficult decisions to make next offseason.
Several of the Bucs' core players enter the upcoming season in the final year of their contracts, and all of them are in line for a very significant raise.
Two of Tampa's impending free agents, quarterback Baker Mayfield and outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, are ranked among the NFL's top 15 best 2027 free agents.
Mayfield is seeking a long-term contract that will pay him over $50 million/year after playing out the three-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2024.
Diaby is still on his rookie contract. As a third-round pick in 2023, he signed a four-year deal worth about $1.36 million/year. After developing into one of the Bucs' best pass rushers and a plus defender against the run, Diaby's next contract could fetch nearly 20 times that annual salary.
Nick Herbig, drafted a round after Diaby in 2023 and who has similar production, recently signed a four-year, $100 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Re-signing both Mayfield and Diaby, which should be among Tampa's top priorities after the season, figures to be very expensive.
Will there be enough money left for the Bucs to also keep guard Cody Mauch?
Mauch is another member of Tampa's tremendous 2023 draft class set to be a free agent next year. Drafted in the second round, Mauch's rookie deal has paid him an average of $1.8 million per year. It's possible he could earn 10 times that amount if he hits the market.
How high a priority will keeping Mauch be for the Bucs? And will there be enough money to go around?
Josh Queipo and Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report did a deep dive on the subject that is well worth the watch.
Mauch Has Become A Core Player
The Bucs' offensive line may be the best in the NFL. Mauch's ascension is a huge reason for that. His season-ending injury in Week 2 last year really proved his value to the team.
Without Mauch, Tampa's line fell well short of expectations in 2025, leading to the entire offense struggling.
Queipo believes Mauch's value is still easily in the $17-19 million per year range. He thinks the floor for Mauch's next contract is around $15 million/year, and another strong season could see him easily eclipse $20 million/year.
He and Reynolds also mentioned that Vita Vea's extension through next year will make it much harder to keep Mauch, as will the upcoming free agency of Mayfield and Diaby. They wonder if Mauch should be a higher priority than Diaby, especially after drafting Rueben Bain Jr. and the emergence of 2025 fourth-round pick David Walker, who missed his entire rookie year with injury.
Queipo also mentions an upcoming decision on wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. He is signed through 2027, but Godwin's guaranteed money runs out after this season. Could Tampa decide to move on from Godwin? Young receivers Emeka Egbuka, Ted Hurst, and Jalen McMillan are the Bucs' future at receiver. Would the team be comfortable letting Godwin go and using that money to re-sign Mauch?
Final Thoughts
The Bucs are going to have some tough calls to make after this season. Obviously, Mayfield will be the biggest domino to fall. Assuming Tampa re-signs Mayfield, they must decide who to prioritize between Mauch, Diaby, and possibly Godwin.
Diaby and Godwin both have in-house options who can step into bigger roles if either of them leaves. The same is not true for Mauch.
Whatever the Bucs organization decides will have a huge impact on the team's future.
