The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at a crossroads with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Contract talks have stalled, and the deadline is the start of training camp next week before Mayfield walks away from the negotiating table until next offseason.
Whether Mayfield signs an extension or not, he’ll be the starting quarterback in Tampa Bay for the 2026 season. But beyond this season, the Buccaneers’ long-term future at the quarterback position remains uncertain.
That uncertainty is why the Buccaneers are increasingly being linked to a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns for Shedeur Sanders as a long-term contingency plan.
Buccaneers named as a top trade candidate for Browns’ Shedeur Sanders
FanSided’s Justin Carter named the Buccaneers among three teams that make sense for a Sanders trade.
His projection involves Tampa Bay sending two Day 3 picks to Cleveland in exchange for the 24-year-old quarterback.
“Here's the situation: Tampa has to decide if it wants to extend Baker Mayfield, who is on the final year of his deal… The issue is that Mayfield is already 31 years old and just led the Buccaneers to an 8-9 finish in what was arguably the weakest division in the NFL last season. It's very possible this team has reached its ceiling and that the Mayfield era won't get better. If the team finishes under .500 again this year, why waste money and more time by keeping Mayfield around? Wouldn't it make more sense to hit the reset button?” wrote Carter.
Tampa Bay pressing the reset button is a legitimate possibility, and it could be why the Buccaneers are reportedly in no rush to get a deal done.
If the Bucs have another underwhelming season, there’s a good chance that head coach Todd Bowles will be fired and replaced. The organization could give a potential new regime the choice on whether to commit to Mayfield as the franchise quarterback.
At the very least, Sanders could provide developmental upside as the backup quarterback behind Mayfield after he started seven games for the Browns as a rookie, going 3-4.
“Sanders gives the Buccaneers a backup quarterback with significantly more upside than Jake Browning, and while he'd solidly be behind Mayfield in 2026, he'd have a chance to compete for the starting job in a post-Mayfield 2027 scenario. If Tampa goes something like 8-9 again in 2026, it won't be positioned to grab one of the top quarterback prospects in 2027 anyway, so why not take a flyer on Sanders and see if he can either be Mayfield's future replacement? Worst case, he can be a tank commander in 2027 to position the team for a quarterback in 2028,” wrote Carter.
It’s debatable if Sanders is much of an immediate upgrade over Browning, but he certainly offers more long-term upside.
Browning went 0-3 as a starter in 2025, completing 64% of his passes and throwing more interceptions (8) than touchdowns (6).
Sanders didn’t fare much better, completing a dismal 57% of his passes and also throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (7).
Sanders does have youth on his side at only 24 years old, compared to Browning who is 30 and played poorly last season despite playing with one of the NFL’s best collections of pass-catchers.
The upgrade, if you can call it that, is only marginal, and Jason Licht is highly unlikely to part ways with two draft picks just to improve the backup quarterback spot.
The team already has a pair of young, developmental quarterbacks they really like in Connor Bazelak and rookie Jalon Daniels.
While the connections between Sanders and Tampa Bay make sense amid Mayfield’s contract situation, it’s difficult to see the Buccaneers pulling the trigger on a move like this. Expect Tampa Bay to enter the season with the options they already have in-house as they continue to work toward an eventual deal with Baker Mayfield.
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