The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still have one major move to make before the new season begins, and there are just weeks until Baker Mayfield's self imposed deadline to reach a new contract extension strikes and the star quarterback has to play the 2026 NFL season on a prove it deal.
Jason Licht and the Bucs have been hard at work trying to come up with the right financial package to keep Mayfield, and while everyone is on board with keeping the Oklahoma grad in the Bay Area forever, Mayfield has not bitten yet, which has made some Bucs fans nervous despite the overall optimism displayed by the media and the Bucs behind closed doors.
Mayfield ultimately has to decide how loyal he is to the Bucs and how much money he wants to try and extract out of a franchise that has taken him in and shown him love like none of the others beforehand, including the Cleveland Browns and rival Carolina Panthers.
Baker Mayfield has to choose between money or Super Bowl rings
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back and Baker Mayfield teammate Chase Edmonds had a gentle reminder for the quarterback to consider what is really most important when building a team and trying to win Super Bowls.
In an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio, Edmonds warned that by chasing the paper and going for a deal up to $60 million annually, Mayfield will be hurting his team and his ability to truly have a legacy by winning a ring.
Edmonds said, via Joe Bucs Fan, “I think knowing the type of player he is, the type of leader he is, I don’t know if that’s the number that he even wants to settle on because he knows, you know, when you settle in a number that high, bro, you take away some talent around the locker room because you can’t pay everybody when you’re paying your quarterback 55, you know, 50-ish million dollars a season,” Edmonds said. So, putting my GM hat on, I think what they’re trying to do — they’re probably trying to say, ‘Okay, Bake, how can we get to a number that is fair, that is deserving of you, of what you’ve done for us, but also it still gives us the capital to make sure that we surround you with a good teamand a chance to actually win a Super Bowl.'”
Tom Brady, a former Buccaneers quarterback who won more Super Bowl rings than anyone in NFL history, understood it best and often took less money to help his teams build a juggernaut around him. Mayfield is no Brady on or off the field, but he is someone who fancies himself a winner and a leader. Edmonds brings up a key point that someone who is both of those things should weigh heavily.
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