Baker Mayfield has one year left on his Tampa Bay contract.
However there appears to be a standoff coming in the ongoing contract negotiations between the veteran quarterback and the NFL franchise.
“I think first and foremost, regardless — we’ve built roots here in Tampa,” Mayfield said.
“We love the community. We love to be here. They’ve embraced us, and we enjoy being here and obviously going to raise kids here.
“But yeah, contract stuff — it’s happening, it’s starting, the talks and whatnot, but not anywhere close to what we were thinking.
“We’d love to be here long-term. And as of right now, that’s not exactly the case, but I’m under contract for 2026.
“And the guys in that locker and the staff know that I’m still going to be me. I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. And to me, that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself.”
The Bucs initially brought Mayfield in on a one-year prove-it deal in 2023, succeeding Tom Brady, after short stints with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.
Tampa afforded the former No. 1 overall pick the opportunity to rejuvenate his career, and it was something that Mayfield grasped with both hands, firing a then career-high 4,044 passing yards for 28 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
Not only did he lead the Buccaneers to the NFL postseason after a 9-8 record, but the signal caller was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
Mayfield was rewarded by the Bucs organization in the 2024 offseason with a three-year contract extension worth $100 million.
In 2024, he repaid Tampa Bay’s faith in him again, enjoying another Pro Bowl season in which he completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns – all career-highs – as the Bucs went 10-7.
But the Buccaneers’ five-year streak of playoff appearances ended in 2025 after an injury-ridden campaign saw them finish 8-9 and losing out to the Panthers for the NFC South title in what became a three-way tie along with the Atlanta Falcons.
Mayfield sets Bucs a deadline
Now with just one year remaining on his current deal, Mayfield is looking to secure long-term financial stability, having welcomed his second child, Maverick, with his wife, Emily, earlier this offseason.
Averaging $33.33 million per season, Mayfield ranks 16th among quarterbacks in annual earnings, albeit just behindSuper Bowl LIX-winning quarterback Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks ($33.5 million).
But the 31-year-old QB acknowledges that his previous experience in engaging in contract discussions with the team, and understanding how they operate internally, could serve as beneficial to him in terms of creating leverage.
“I think anytime you have prior knowledge, that definitely helps,” Mayfield added. “But also, they know who I am. They know it doesn’t matter what the contract is.
“That’s not going to change my work ethic, the leadership aspect of it, what I try and bring to the guys, try and elevate everybody.
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“So yes, there’s helpful things when it comes to negotiating, but at the same time, it really comes down to just you worry about giving somebody that much money, if it’s going to change them, if it’s going to change their attitude, how they show up every day in the building – and for me, that’s not the case.”
Mayfield is committed to playing with his usual grit and heart in 2026, albeit without his No. 1 wide receiver in Mike Evans following his departure to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
But, he has made his deadline date clear to the Bucs, leaving the ball in their court over whether they can strike an agreement beforehand.
“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline: As soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing any contract stuff. It’s all ball,” Mayfield said.
“It’s not up to me when that gets done by. So hopefully before that. If not – still going to have a good year.”
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