Baker Mayfield will reportedly play 2026 season on expiring deal, pick up contract talks with Bucs in offseason
Baker Mayfield will play the 2026 season on an expiring deal, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, who reported Tuesday that contract talks between the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have come to a halt and will pick up in the offseason.
Auman’s report followed another from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Jenna Laine that emphasized early Tuesday how Mayfield and the Buccaneers haven’t made significant progress in extension discussions.
The news arrives a day before Tampa Bay’s first training camp practice and a day after reports surfaced that two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea requested a trade from the franchise following failed contract negotiations.
Mayfield stressed in June during OTAs that he wasn’t open to continuing a contract dialogue once camp got underway. Back then, Mayfield, 31, also expressed that he’d love to stick around but that his representation and the Buccaneers were “not anywhere close” to striking a new deal.
Mayfield is currently in the final year of a three-year extension reportedly worth $100 million that he signed in March 2024. Tampa Bay will have a chance to negotiate Mayfield’s next long-term contract before free agency starts in March next year, as Auman noted in his report. Plus, the Buccaneers will have the option to use the franchise tag on Mayfield for the 2027 season.
While Auman reported Tuesday that “any talks of a new contract” for Mayfield and the Buccaneers before the 2026 season are “finished,” ESPN’s report mentioned that a last-minute deal is still possible, albeit with the qualifier that “a deal is largely not expected” by Wednesday, when Tampa Bay kicks off training camp practice.
Additionally, ESPN’s report outlined how Mayfield desires a contract akin to what comparable quarterbacks are on at the moment. Right now, he’s making $33.33 million per year, a mark that ranks 16th among NFL quarterbacks in terms of average pay, per ESPN, which reported that Mayfield isn’t afraid to play on the franchise tag in 2027.
For reference, the franchise tag for quarterbacks is projected to balloon to around $50 million next year.
The Buccaneers paved the way for Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, to renew his career as an NFL starting quarterback. He followed through, leading the team to first-place finishes in the NFC South in both 2023 and 2024, earning both of his Pro Bowl nods while steering Tampa Bay away from regression following Tom Brady’s retirement.
Despite injuries to key playmakers, Mayfield engineered a 5-1 start last year, effectively announcing himself as an MVP candidate. But the Buccaneers capsized in the back half of the season. Coming off back-to-back losses to start November, Mayfield suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder during a third straight defeat.
He juggled more injuries down the road, and Tampa Bay missed the postseason, losing a division tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers despite beating them in Week 18.
During Netflix's "Quarterback" docuseries, Mayfield revealed that he played with a sprained MCL and PCL in his knee since Week 2.
He’s hoping for a healthier campaign in 2026 and a return to the playoffs. If he authors those, he’ll be reportedly be doing so on an expiring contract.
