With training camp underway, Baker Mayfield has shut down extension negotiations with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mayfield spoke with media on Thursday about the self-imposed deadline, with his tone shifting noticeably from June when the quarterback more plainly said the two sides were “not anywhere close” to a deal.
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On Thursday, Mayfield used words such as “disrespected” and “undervalued,” expressing his disappointment with how no progress has been made on his contract. He signed a one-year, “prove it” deal with the Bucs in 2023, followed by a three-year, $100 million extension in 2024, which is set to expire next spring.
“I think I’m a franchise quarterback,” he said. “I’ve been told I’m a franchise quarterback. It’s been said publicly from ownership down here, and so to not have a deal done is very disappointing.”
Mayfield, 31, has turned in three of his best pro seasons in Tampa, leading the team to a 27-24 record as a starter and helping the team make the playoffs in 2023 and 2024 as a Pro Bowl QB. His passing numbers dipped last season, and the Bucs missed the postseason despite beating the Panthers in Week 18.
How will this play out? Will the Bucs regret not locking up Mayfield sooner? Or is this an indication that the team has doubts? Let’s dig deeper.
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Baker Mayfield didn’t hold back in his disappointment
The most striking thing about Mayfield’s comments Thursday is that he was able to express his disappointment with the situation while remaining professional.
Mayfield referenced Mike Evans leaving the franchise after several rounds of negotiations the past few years, Tristan Wirfs‘ protracted negotiations and Vita Vea‘s current standoff with the team. There was also Chris Godwin being franchise-tagged twice before a longer-term resolution happened.
This Bucs traditionally have been tough negotiators, even with some of their best players, in recent years.
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“It’s disappointing,” Mayfield said Thursday. “… I’m not the first one to go through it like this. This is kind of historically how (the Buccaneers have) done negotiations. It’s disappointing when you think you’re a cornerstone of the franchise to be treated like that.”
Mayfield continued to express hope of staying with the team that helped revive his career, not ruling out the possibility of an extension after the season. But it was twinged with frustration that the two sides couldn’t find common ground before camp opened.
“One, I’m very very thankful for the chance (the Bucs) gave me,” he said. “Do not get me wrong on that. But I also know I really know what I brought this franchise, leadership-wise and even play-wise. It’s been some of the best years of my career, and I think it’s making the trend upwards.
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“… That’s really the disappointing part: to feel undervalued after thinking (you’d) earned it. This is not a ‘poor me’ thing.”
Now Mayfield has shut down the negotiations, and he’s said he’s done answering questions about his contract this season after Thursday. He said he addressed his teammates to update them on the situation and to ensure that there would be no distraction from him this season.
” I said the deadline is the deadline, and I addressed the team to let them know I meant that,” Mayfield said. “It’s all ball. I’m with these guys. I think all the guys that have been here know exactly who I am.
“The guys that are new here, I wanted to address that because they might have had a notion prior to coming here about who I am as a person, but it’s … it’s all team. It’s all about winning here now and what we’re going to do.”
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In a perfect world, Mayfield and the Buccaneers will both bounce back, and the quarterback will earn another long-term extension to remain in Tampa. Mayfield said he still “hopes” that can be the case. But he also defiantly warned that better results will mean a higher price tag down the road.
“If you’ve waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback,” Mayfield said, “that’s too bad because it’s only going to get worse from here. I am going to have a really good year.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) goes thru drills during Training Camp on July 29, 2026 at the AdventHealth Training Center at One Buccaneer Place in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Baker Mayfield’s current contract and market value
Mayfield’s current deal ($33.3 million average per year) puts him 16th among quarterbacks, just behind Seattle‘s Sam Darnold ($33.5 million) and well ahead of Pittsburgh‘s Aaron Rodgers and Miami‘s Malik Willis, who are both slotted at $22.5 million.
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Willis, with six career NFL starts to his name, was given what we might call a provisional starting quarterback salary this offseason by the rebuilding Dolphins. Rodgers is entering a season that he’s said will be his final hurrah in the league.
So in essence, Mayfield’s salary ranks at the bottom of what we might call the upper-middle tier of NFL starters. Below Willis and Rodgers are mostly recent first-round pick quarterbacks still playing on their rookie contracts, along with a few unique cases, such as bridge QB Kirk Cousins and Justin Fields, a well-paid backup and insurance policy for Patrick Mahomes.
It’s not hard to see why Mayfield might feel disrespected, relative to his position and performance.
Darnold certainly earned his money by having his best season and helping lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title. Some might argue he’s due even more now. And just ahead of Darnold are two curious cases: the Colts’ Daniel Jones, averaging $44 million on a deal signed this offseason despite coming off an Achilles injury, and the Browns’ Deshaun Watson, whose contract has been a generational disaster and who isn’t even a guarantee to be Cleveland‘s starter in 2026.
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It wasn’t clear who Mayfield was specifically referring to, but he certainly understands the QB contract landscape as well as anyone.
“I can sit here and look at other quarterbacks and peers and evaluate myself based on that and put myself in certain categories that I deserve to be compensated for that,” he said.
Mayfield also certainly understands the Bucs’ side of future negotiations, casually dropping a big hint in one of his responses. “I know I’m no dummy,” he said. “I know the contract and salary cap. What’s going on? (The) franchise tag isn’t exactly in play for them. Could be a lot of dead money.”
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Last offseason, the Bucs reworked Mayfield’s deal to create short-term cap space, guaranteeing a large chunk of Mayfield’s then-unguaranteed 2026 base salary and converting it into a roster bonus. That converted money was then prorated across multiple seasons, including future “void” (dummy) years in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
As a result, Mayfield received a full guarantee of $30 million for the 2026 season. And while it gave the team immediate 2025 cap savings of around $15 million, plus a more manageable 2026 cap number for Mayfield, it also put the team on the hook for dead money.
Franchising Mayfield would mean all of that dead money accelerating to the 2027 cap. The projected franchise-tag number for quarterbacks might be hovering close to $50 million next year. Absorbing both hits – the dead money and the franchise QB money – in one year could be financially difficult, maybe even impossible.
Mayfield appears to know the leverage points on both sides here, and he’s better on himself – again. It’s easy to say he’s just being emotional about feeling undervalued, but Mayfield also is proving he understands the practical salary-cap math that makes the franchise tag a very unattractive option for Tampa Bay.
And he’s determined to make the Bucs pay, one way or another. Otherwise, Mayfield could be seeking another new team in 2027.
