As if Baker Mayfield did not have enough reasons to want to prove the whole wide world wrong all over again in the 2026 NFL regular season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers themselves gave the Bake a very powerful motivator by low balling him in contract negotiations, setting off that voice in the back of the franchis quarterback's head that feels doubted, neglected, and flat out disrespected.
Mayfield is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, but the Buccaneers and general manager Jason Licht want to challenge the former Oklahoma Sooner to be more consistent and to put it together and win in the postseason with any coach.
A motivated and hated Mayfield is the best version of the quarterback, and two familiar foes in the NFC South are going to be wishing that Licht and the Bucs didn't set off this ticking time bomb at the end of July.
Baker Mayfield has some rivals to burn
Baker Mayfield already has multiple axes to grind with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. Maybe most importantly, he has a point to prove after he quarterbacked the Bucs to an epic collapse against these organizations last season, losing to Atlanta in prime time, which helped gift the division crown to Carolina in an epic collapse.
But there is a personal thread, too, that should make both the Falcons and Panthers nervous. Mayfield use to play for the Panthers, but they doubted him and eventually picked up young Bryce Young in the draft. And Mayfield has to be fuming every time someone tries to say they would rather build a team around Young than him.
Meanwhile, it gets even more personal with the Atlanta Falcons now, becaue they hired Enemy No. 1 to be their head coach this offseason in Kevin Stefanski, who was the old Cleveland Browns coach. Stefanski and Mayfield had some real battles behind the scenes, and whlie Stefanski wasn't actually the one who wanted Mayfield gone, the quarterback still holds a massive grudge against him to this day.
So the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be very excited to see an irate Baker Mayfield unleashed against their two most threatening NFC South rivals in the battle for the division crown and the playoffs. And while Mayfield or the Bucs, depending on your perspective, may seem like the biggest losers in the contract saga, it might actually be Carolina and Atlanta who pay the most this season.
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