After a tense contract standoff that lasted all offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers eventually gave Baker Mayfield a three-year, $165 million extension — the biggest contract in franchise history.
The extension doesn’t kick in until next year, so Mayfield is under contract with the Buccaneers through the 2029 season.
But in his first two games since signing that deal, Mayfield looked anything but a $165 million quarterback. His poor play has been a key factor in Tampa Bay’s 0-2 start, and the front office has to be wondering if they would have been better off letting him play out his contract year and revisiting negotiations next offseason.
Did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make a mistake giving Baker Mayfield a historic contract extension?
Mayfield is one of only eight quarterbacks in the NFL making $55 million per year. He’s being paid like an elite quarterback, and now he’ll be held to that standard.
Luckily, the Buccaneers have an escape plan if Mayfield’s fails to live up to that contract. The three-year extension is essentially a two-year deal with a team option for the third year, giving Tampa Bay a potential out after the 2028 season.
It's early, but so far in 2026, he’s been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL.
Mayfield fumbled three times in the season opener and handed the Bengals 17 points in a game the Buccaneers lost by just six points.
In Week 2's loss to the Browns, he threw an inexcusable interception and missed several potential explosive plays by overthrowing open targets downfield.
Mayfield’s inaccuracy, paired with his propensity to turn the ball over, is a worrisome trend that could prevent the Buccaneers from ever competing for a Super Bowl as long as he’s at the helm.
The team had the opportunity to evaluate Mayfield this season on a contract year before pulling the trigger on a long-term commitment. While hindsight is 20/20, his early struggles make it worth asking if the Buccaneers jumped the gun, especially with the stacked quarterback class in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers could miss out on top QB prospects because of Baker Mayfield contract extension
The 2027 and 2028 NFL Drafts are each expected to be headlined by special quarterback classes.
Much can change between now and April, and of course, the draft is a crapshoot, but the Buccaneers could have given themselves the option to start over with a talented young prospect on a rookie deal instead of tying themselves to Mayfield at $55 million annually.
Top quarterbacks in the ‘27 class include Dante Moore, Arch Manning and Darian Mensah.
Trinidad Chambliss is another intriguing name soaring up draft boards, but the fact that he’ll turn 25 years old before his NFL rookie year and is undersized by pro standards has some hesitant to crown him as a first-round prospect.
The ‘28 class could be even better, featuring Drew Mestemaker, Kamario Taylor, and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
Given their commitment to Mayfield, the Buccaneers have made it much harder to justify pursuing any of those quarterback prospects over the next two years.
But the way they’re playing now, Tampa Bay could easily end up with a top-10 draft pick in 2027. If the Buccaneers end up within range of a potential franchise quarterback prospect but are forced to pass him up due to Mayfield’s contract, they may end up kicking themselves if he continues to play at his current level.
The Buccaneers didn’t fork over a $165 million contract for one of the worst quarterbacks in the league, but objectively, that’s what Mayfield has been since signing his contract.
The sample size is too small for an overreaction, and I’m not here to push the panic button or rush to any conclusions.
But given the major financial commitment the Bucs made, and looking at the pool of younger, cheaper talent that will be available over the next two years, Mayfield’s contract will continue to be scrutinized until he starts to play at an elite level consistently and lead the Bucs to wins.
Add us as a preferred source on Google