Baker Mayfield’s Comments Show Extension With Buccaneers Is Complicated

TAMPA BAY — Baker Mayfield set a tone for his extension negotiations with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first comments to the media this offseason: He wants to be the team’s long-term quarterback, but he’s willing to play out the final year of his contract without a new deal in place. “Contract stuff is happening, starting, talks and whatnot, not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” Mayfield said Friday during a youth football camp he’s hosting at the Buccaneers’ indoor practice facility. “Would love to be here long-term, and as of right now, that’s not exactly the case. I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room, the staff know that I’m still going to be me, 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, who has one year remaining on a three-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2024, added that his deadline to get an extension done is the start of training camp. “Obviously, yes, I’d love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline,” Mayfield said. “As soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing any contract stuff. It’s all ball. It’s not up to me when that gets done by. Hopefully before that. If not, we’ll still have a good year.” While the Bucs haven’t announced when training camp will begin, it’s usually late in July. So, the clock’s now ticking on both parties to get something agreed to before then. But what should both sides be looking for in the potential extension? That’s tough to figure out. Mayfield, who turned 31 in April, has seen a career resurgence in Tampa, taking over in 2023 after Tom Brady’s retirement. Once a No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield was traded from his first NFL home to the Carolina Panthers in the summer of 2022, struggled there and finished that season with the Los Angeles Rams. When he first signed with the Buccaneers, it was a one-year, $4 million deal that got up to $7 million with a strong first year. He led the Bucs to back-to-back division titles, passing for a career-best 41 touchdowns and 4,500 yards in 2024. But Mayfield, much like the Buccaneers, was inconsistent last year, playing through multiple injuries while key offensive pieces were sidelined throughout the season. The Bucs opened the year 6-2, with Mayfield throwing 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. Then, they lost seven of their last nine, with Mayfield throwing 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. The Bucs finished in a three-way tie atop the NFC South standings, losing to the Panthers due to a tiebreaker to miss the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Buccaneers have dealt with significant departures this spring, with two beloved players from their 2020 Super Bowl roster now gone. Linebacker Lavonte David retired after 14 seasons in Tampa, and Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers after 12 seasons in Tampa Bay. That leaves Mayfield as the unquestioned face of the franchise, and creates questions as to just how much it will cost for Tampa to keep him. Mayfield hasn’t publicly stated how much money he’s looking for in his next contract, but Spotrac projects his value at around four years and $214 million. That works out to $53.6 million per year, a figure that would make him the seventh-highest-paid quarterback in the league. However, most of those deals were to quarterbacks who were younger at the time of signing, with two exceptions. Dak Prescott signed a $60 million-per-year pact at age 31 with the Dallas Cowboys, and 38-year-old Matthew Stafford signed a one-year, $55 million extension this spring with the Los Angeles Rams following his MVP season. If Mayfield ends up playing out the 2026 season without a contract for 2027, though, he’d be in line to potentially become a prime franchise tag candidate or one of the most coveted players at any position next offseason. The franchise tag for quarterbacks in 2027 is likely to be about $51 million for one year, a significant raise that would take up a larger chunk of the 2027 cap than a long-term extension. In the event Mayfield isn’t tagged, he’d join a relatively deep talent pool of free agents at quarterback. Kyler Murray (Minnesota Vikings) and Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta Falcons) are on one-year rests after being cut from huge contracts, while a veteran like Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns) could be an option for teams looking to add at quarterback next March. Of course, Mayfield’s play in 2026 will largely dictate what the Buccaneers plan to do with him if he doesn’t sign an extension this offseason. It could go two very different ways for the Bucs: If Mayfield looks like the first half of last season and gets Tampa Bay back to the playoffs, he’d have leverage for an even larger contract. But if he and the team struggle, the Bucs could move on from him and head coach Todd Bowles, perhaps looking in another direction for both key spots. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has made it clear the team loves Mayfield and wants to keep him in Tampa on a long-term deal, but such a contract would be the largest in franchise history. Recent deals for Tagovailoa, Murray and Watson can show how getting a $200 million deal wrong can damage an NFL franchise, though resetting at the position is not an easy process as well. A four-year extension, though, could also elevate Mayfield’s spot in franchise lore. If he signed such a contract, Mayfield would likely have all the franchise’s major passing records by the time the deal ends. The Buccaneers haven’t had good luck with sustained success from their quarterbacks, which was a big reason why they missed the playoffs 12 years in a row from 2008-19. But they’ve become a playoff mainstay since the turn of the decade, with Mayfield mostly doing his part. And even after missing the playoffs last season, Tampa Bay is still the oddmakers’ favorite to win the NFC South in 2026. It’s clear what both sides ultimately want, though. Mayfield has made it evident he wants to stay in Tampa, where he’s found stability in his career, and his family has found a home, with he and wife Emily welcoming daughter Kova and son Maverick since he arrived. But there was a leverage aspect to Friday’s comments, as Mayfield’s the top quarterback entering a contract year that’s negotiating a huge deal. So, the question now is whether the Buccaneers want to pay enough to sign on for the same stability or take their chances letting the season play out without a new deal. “They know who I am,” Mayfield said Friday. “They know it doesn’t matter what the contract is. It’s not going to change my work ethic, the leadership aspect of it, what I try to bring with guys, trying to elevate everybody. … You worry about giving somebody that much money, if it’s going to change their attitude, how they show up in the building. With me, that’s not the case. They gave me a chance at a point in my career when I really needed it, helped me out, but I think I did the same as well. It’s time to get something done long-term, and I would love to be here long-term.”