Baker Mayfield is entering the final year of his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the two sides are trying to work out a long-term deal.
After resurrecting his career with the Bucs in 2023, Mayfield earned a three-year, $100 million contract extension in 2024, and he has been worth every penny of that deal.
Talks for a new contract have already begun, but Mayfield said on Friday that things aren’t going smoothly, as there appears to be a significant gap between the two sides when it comes to the money.
“Not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” Mayfield said of the Bucs’ offer, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Would love to be here long term but as of right now that’s not exactly the case.”
“But I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room, the staff know that I’m still gonna be me. I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl,” Mayfield added. “To me that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself.”
How Bucs have fared with Baker Mayfield
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the playoffs in each of the first two seasons Baker Mayfield was under center, with Tampa Bay winning one of three postseason contests in that span.
But the Bucs failed to make the playoffs in 2025, and making that result even worse was the fact that Tampa Bay completely collapsed after a 6-2 start.
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The Bucs lost six of their last eight, and while they did take care of business by beating the Carolina Panthers in Week 18, a tie-breaker scenario led to Tampa Bay falling short.
Mayfield has notched a pair of Pro Bowls over his three seasons with the Bucs, and his 2024 season was particularly impressive after he threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns to 16 interceptions.
However, Mayfield had a down season in 2025, partly because he was dealing with injury.
Should the Bucs extend Baker Mayfield?
The Bucs should extend Mayfield, but for the right price.
It’s hard to find a good starting quarterback in the NFL, so when a team has one, it should stick with him.
Mayfield qualifies as a good quarterback who is always going to keep the Bucs competitive, and he’s young enough at 31 that Tampa Bay doesn’t have to fear a decline soon.
That said, Mayfield isn’t on the level that he should get a deal that resets the market. It isn’t clear if he’s looking for that, but the Bucs shouldn’t oblige if he is.
Spotrac estimates a four-year, $214.4 million contract for Mayfield, which works out to $53.6 million annually.
That annual average would rank seventh among quarterbacks, so that’s a figure we could live with, although a deal closer to $50 million per would be more suitable.
