Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is entering a contract year in 2026. General manager Jason Licht has expressed interest in locking Mayfield up long term, and there’s a possibility the extension gets done before the upcoming season.
Add Gerald McCoy to the list of voices clamoring for the Buccaneers to pay Baker Mayfield a contract extension.
Gerald McCoy wants Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign Baker Mayfield to a contract extension
"Pay him. Pay him,” McCoy said of Mayfield on WDAE radio, courtesy of JoeBucsFan. “Heck yeah. Do y’all see the QB market? Who’s out here? Tell me who’s out here. Tell me who’s coming out in the draft; stop with the ‘maybes..."
"I think any Buccaneers fan should look at the history of our quarterbacks and it should tell you that it’s hard to find a franchise guy. So while we have one, we need to pay him and keep him around as long as we can. People go through ups and downs, but if you don’t have that position, what you got? Pay Baker Mayfield. He’s earned that right.”
McCoy certainly has a point. The Buccaneers, in their 50-year history, have never drafted and developed a franchise quarterback of their own. Each of their two Super Bowls have come with an established veteran at the helm.
Mayfield will almost certainly be the top quarterback in next year’s free agency class. Other high-profile names include Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, and Matthew Stafford, who will likely be retiring.
Mayfield has led the Bucs to a 27-24 regular season record and a 1-2 postseason record since becoming the starting quarterback in 2023. He’s thrown for over 12,000 yards along with 95 touchdown passes and only 37 interceptions. He led the Bucs on a handful of game-winning drives last season despite being without some of his starting offensive linemen and wide receivers. Mayfield has been asked to carry this team on his back at times, and he’s proven worthy of the franchise quarterback title.
When it comes to Mayfield’s contract extension with the Buccaneers, it’s a matter of when, not if. The Bucs could opt to let him play out the final year of his contract before making a major commitment, and frankly, that could work out better for Mayfield. If he has another elite season like he did back in 2024, he’ll enter the open market as the clear best quarterback available and he’ll have a ton of leverage over Tampa Bay to cash in on a huge pay day.
The Bucs would be better served getting a contract extension done this offseason so that Mayfield can go into next season without a contract on the back of his mind, and the organization won't have to sweat the possibility of him reaching the open market next offseason.
The Bucs have been getting Mayfield at an absolute bargain for about $33 million per season since 2024. He’s currently the 16th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, and deserves a figure closer to the top ten. Quarterbacks such as Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, and Jalen Hurts are all earning over $50 million per season.
Mayfield’s next deal will almost certainly land in that $50-$60 million range, which is a hefty price tag, but well worth the price of admission for a franchise quarterback like Mayfield.