Todd Bowles: Baker Mayfield's a true pro, contract will take care of itself

There are issues for the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield to work out on the business side, but there’s been no issues on the football side of things.

That was the message from head coach Todd Bowles on Thursday. Mayfield is heading into the final year of his contract with the Buccaneers and talks about an extension have been at a standstill, which led Mayfield to say that he won’t continue talks if a new deal isn’t in place at the start of training camp.

Bowles said there’s “absolutely no question” he wants Mayfield as the team’s long-term quarterback and that the off-field situation hasn’t impacted anything on the field.

“Baker’s a true pro,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “I don’t think there’s any disappointment whatsoever. I mean, he loves it here. We love him here. The contract stuff takes care of itself, whether it’s the quarterback or any other position that comes up — those things get worked out over time. You just concentrate on what we got to concentrate on, on the field, and he’s been great right there.”

There’s no guarantee that Mayfield will land the contract he wants with the Buccaneers, but making a compelling case for his value with his play isn’t going to do anything to hurt his cause.