The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and star quarterback Baker Mayfield are in fierce negotiations for a new contract, with the former Cleveland Browns signal caller setting an unofficial deadline of training camp to get a deal done as he does not want to negotiate during the regular season.
Jason Licht, the Glazers, and the entire Buccaneers organization, extending all the way to the fans, have made it clear that they want Mayfield in Tampa Bay for the long haul and have no reservations about him being the answer, even as the broader media remain highly skeptical of Mayfield as the sort of quarterback and character who will bring a Super Bowl ring to a city.
The Buccaneers recently got some leverage because of those doubts, as the NFL Network unveiled their list of the best 100 players in the league at this very moment, which is an annual tradition. And on that list, Mayfield ranked No. 77, which actually isn't a bad ranking at all for Mayfield or for a quarterback. However, Mayfield fell from No. 50 to 77, which is a pretty significant drop.
Baker Mayfield deserved the downgrade on NFL Top 100 list
It is also not an unexpected one, as Baker Mayfield had a poor 2025 NFL season, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers collapsing to miss out on the playoffs despite playing in the easiest division in the league. While Mayfield is not at all solely responsible for that fall from grace for Tampa Bay due to all the injuries around him - and even his own injuries, too - he has to be accountable (his favorite word) for his own play.
The Buccaneers can be brutal at the bargaining table while being supportive in public and point to Mayfield and his camp that while Mayfield may be a $50 million quarterback based on what everyone else is making per year, he is at a low point in his negotiating power after that season.
Now, Mayfield is going to know that, and as a headstrong guy who believes in himself, loves to bet on himself, and always plays his best football when he has a very personal point to prove, he is probably going to be more inclined to play out his final year in 2026 with the intention of extracting as much value to his name as possible. But if he wants to do what's right by Tampa and get a deal done now, the Bucs should be able to get more favorable terms.
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