By far the biggest story line surrounding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason is the contract situation of star quarterback Baker Mayfield. With just one year left on his current deal, Mayfield is someone the Bucs need to lock down to a new contract pronto, but it may, on the other hand, be in the franchise passer's best financial interests to, as he loves to do throughout his career, bet on himself before cashing in big if he can stay healthy and blow up with an MVP caiber 2026.
Because if you take a snap shot of his first half of the 2025 NFL season, Mayfield was getting a ton of MVP love, and NFL analysts were raving about the Buccaneers as a Super Bowl contender. Thanks to a myriad of injuries, including one to Baker himself, the wheels fell off the Bucs wagon as they missed the playoffs entirely.
But the Bucs still 100 percent believe in Mayfield, from the fan base all the way up to the Glazers. And despite Mayfield apparently driving a hard bargain to general manager Jason Licht, there is a ton of optimism that a deal will get done.
Baker Mayfield's deal may be close
In fact, NBC Sports's Pro Football Talk reports, via Sleeper NFL, that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are so bullish on keeping Baker Mayfield with a new deal that they actually think their upcoming contract offer prior to his self imposed July 28th deadline for a new deal before the 2026 season starts will be a successful one that Baker accepts. The Bucs reportedly believe that this offer will be so good that it is the best financial offer he will get from any club between now and next year.
PFT said that the “Bucs believe their offer to Baker Mayfield will ultimately be stronger than what he’d get from any other team.”
That's enough to get the hopes up of Buccaneers fans. Everyone knows Mayfield is going to get more than $50 million per year, because that is what any franchise quarterback gets and there are inferior players like Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers who are making more money than that per season.
The question is if the Bucs are going to go to $60 million or beyond. But if Mayfield said their offers around $50 million were very far apart and now the Bucs think they are offering more than what he will get elsewhere, fans will be curious - and highly optimistic about an acceptance - as to how high Licht is going here.
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