It’s a truth universally acknowledged that you either have a capable quarterback (and a chance at winning a Super Bowl), or you don’t.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are well aware of what happens when you don’t, which is why they hammered out a new three-year contract extension with Baker Mayfield just days before the start of the 2026 regular season, the final year on Mayfield’s current deal.
Despite Mayfield setting a self-imposed deadline of the start of training camp to agree to a new deal, the two sides came to an agreement that was announced Tuesday, locking in Mayfield as the Bucs’ franchise passer through the 2029 season.
Technically, that 2029 season basically serves as a team option, but let’s be real: This deal was about the Bucs valuing stability at the game’s most important position instead of heading into the 2026 campaign with a huge question mark there. Sure, they could have kept Mayfield on the franchise tag, but this was always the more likely scenario for both sides, even with all of Mayfield’s public posturing in response to the team’s previous offers.
For those who were looking forward to watching Mayfield attack the 2026 season with the energy of a jilted signal-caller on in a contract year, it’s worth remembering that when the Bucs gave Mayfield his first big-money extension after the 2023 season, the former No. 1 overall pick responded with the best season of his career, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Since he signed with the Bucs in 2023, succeeding Tom Brady as the team’s starting quarterback, Mayfield has ranked second in the NFL in touchdown passes (95), and third in passing yards (12,237).
In addition to his statistical success, Mayfield’s presence as a vocal and respected leader has been lauded by everyone in the entire organization, from ownership to coaches and teammates. Whatever cons Mayfield may bring to the table (injuries, stretches of inconsistency), the Bucs weren’t eager to pass up the pros in favor of whatever might await them behind Door No. 2 this time around.
Sure, the 2027 NFL Draft looks like it could be loaded with talent at the position (famous last words), but the Bucs will likely be far too good in 2026 to get a shot at the best ones who would be able to start right away. This roster is built to win now, with a ton of veteran experience (even after the departures of future Hall of Famers Mike Evans and Lavonte David), and a promising group of young players has also raised the ceiling of the team’s future.
This deal should allow Mayfield to take full advantage of both, giving the team stability under center for the foreseeable future, and locking him in long enough to see that young talent flourish in the years to come.
Mayfield’s average annual value on the new contract ties him for third in the league in terms of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the game, trailing only Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes, and putting him in the same bucket as Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford. That may seem a bit rich for Mayfield, but go back and look at those stats since he came to Tampa Bay, and remember that a few new deals are coming for other quarterbacks across the league that will likely knock him back down into the lower half of the top 10.
It’s also worth remembering that halfway through last season, the Bucs were 6-2, and Mayfield was firmly planted in the MVP conversation. He led them to a shootout victory on the road against the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and had them headed for a fifth straight division title until injuries derailed the season. Mayfield himself struggled through multiple injuries down the stretch, and he didn’t play a single game last season with his entire starting offensive line on the field together.
Now that this is out of the way, Mayfield and the Bucs can attack the 2026 season knowing their futures remain one and the same, without even a hint of uncertainty hovering over either of them moving forward.
