Baker Mayfield's Contract Statement Leaves Buccaneers With Decision

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield came together at the right time for both parties, but no one knows how much longer the marriage will last.

The former Oklahoma Sooner signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Buccaneers in March 2023 after playing 12 combined games with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Although he led the Cleveland Browns to a playoff win in 2020, his career had been a disappointment relative to his draft status, as the Browns took him No. 1 overall in 2018. He had yet to become a star, so he had to prove himself on a cheap deal in Tampa Bay.

That's exactly what Mayfield did, as he logged 4,044 passing yards with 28 touchdowns against 10 interceptions on a 64.3% completion rate. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder then signed a three-year, $100 million extension with the Buccaneers in March 2024, and he's now entering the last year of that deal.

Mayfield spoke about his contract situation on Friday, via ESPN's Jenna Laine.

"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," he 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."

Baker Mayfield said that currently, contract talks "are not anywhere close to what we were thinking" but he's "gonna do everything he can to help his team win a Super Bowl." He wants to be here long term. He said once training camp hits, no more negotiation and wants to focus. pic.twitter.com/u1Wt9XNO7m

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) June 5, 2026

Buccaneers Must Tread Carefully With Baker Mayfield

Although training camp doesn't start until late July, Tampa Bay can't take Mayfield's deadline for granted. If it doesn't re-sign the two-time Pro Bowler before then, there's a chance he could hit the open market in 2027.

The Buccaneers lost star wideout Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers in March, so losing two core players in two years would be hard to recover from. If they re-sign Mayfield, they'd at least have him, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and running back Bucky Irving signed for multiple years. Veteran wideout Chris Godwin has a club option for 2027.

Mayfield has been productive in all three of his years with Tampa Bay, as he tossed 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions on a 71.4% completion rate in 2024 before logging 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 picks on a 63.2% completion rate last season. The veteran has yet to miss a game with the team and led it to the NFC Divisional Round in 2023 before getting to the Wild Card game in 2024.

Related: 3 Biggest Offseason Questions Still Looming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 2:16 PM.