Not many quarterbacks have been able to pick up exactly where a team legend left off in the way that Baker Mayfield took control of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following Tom Brady's retirement. But with his contract expiration looming, the Buccaneers seem primed to take a "big risk" with how they'll handle negotiations with Mayfield's people moving forward.
It was ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio who described it as a "big risk" amid reports that the Buccaneers are in "no rush" to extend Mayfield. Meanwhile, Mayfield has reportedly set a deadline on the team to extend him to the start of training camp before presumably hitting free agency in 2027.
Training camp starts on July 28, giving the Buccaneers less than three weeks to meet Mayfield's deadline. It's unclear just how far apart the two sides are on getting a deal done.
The Gamble
Florio reported that the Buccaneers believe their offer will exceed what any other team will offer Mayfield. He also reported that the team is confident Mayfield will accept their next offer.
"While he’ll reportedly be getting $40 million this year (due to money that carried over from 2025), the APY remains $33.33 million. And the cash due this year under his contract is $27 million, with up to $5 million in incentives," Florio wrote.
"As we hear it, the Buccaneers believe they’ll offer Mayfield more than any other team would put on the table. They likely also believe that, when they move to their bottom-line position (probably just before July 28), Mayfield will take it."
© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.
Mayfield was pretty solid for the Buccaneers from 2023 to 2024, going over 4,000 yards and completing nearly 68-percent of his passes, earning two Pro Bowls and taking the team to the playoffs twice.
But 2025 was a bit of a down year by comparison. He hit three-year lows in completion rate, yards, touchdowns and - most importantly - wins, going 8-9 as the team narrowly missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Will Mayfield re-sign with the Buccaneers in 2026, 2027 or not at all?
