Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
When it comes to finding motivation anywhere you can, if you’re Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, you probably have to like what happened this offseason between quarterback Baker Mayfield and new Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski took shots at Mayfield, who was 1 of his starting quarterbacks on the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield fired back.
In a season where the NFC South Division seems up for grabs between all 4 teams, it adds an incredible amount of drama to the 2 games the teams will play in 2026.
Bowles, for all of the criticism he’s endured, took a pretty cool approach to it — basically saying he’s ready for a knock-down, drag-out battle when they play, then adding some lip service about him having Mayfield’s back, which no one really believes but is nice for him to say.
“ … It’s something that they have to figure out since we can’t have a boxing match where they get in the ring with each other & knock each other out,” Bowles said in an interview with NFL insider Josina Anderson on Monday. “You know we’re going to back our guy Baker … ”
Todd Bowles Somehow Kept Job After 2025
Mayfield and Bowles need to be on the same page in 2026 because their NFL futures are both on the line.
Bowles somehow kept his job after doing a miserable job coaching the Buccaneers in 2025 as they not only went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019, but looked generally lost and undisciplined throughout the season.
If the Buccaneers’ 2025 season is to be remembered for 1 thing, it’s probably Bowles’ bizarre, expletive-filled rant following a 29-28 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14, in which Tampa Bay blew a 14-point lead in the 2nd half.
“You don’t make excuses,” Bowles said in his postgame press conference. “You got to f—ing care enough where the s— hurts. It’s got to f—ing mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your f—ing livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can’t sugarcoat that s—.”
Baker Mayfield Playing for Massive New Contract
No single quarterback in the NFL can say they’ll be under more pressure than Mayfield in 2026, when he’ll be in the final season of the 3-year, $100 million contract he signed before the 2024 season.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht addressed his quarterback’s future on the 1st day of the annual NFL owners meetings on March 30 in Phoenix, telling AP NFL Reporter Rob Maadi he wants Mayfield with the Buccaneers for the foreseeable future.
“Baker is a true pro,” Licht said. “He’s a leader for this team. We love Baker. Baker is still our quarterback. He’s one of the toughest guys on the team. He’s a great leader. Everything kind of revolves around the quarterback spot. At some point, I’m sure we’ll figure something out. There’s no timetable on that.”
Were the Buccaneers to make the playoffs somehow, you can almost guarantee Mayfield is in line for a contract that could be worth anywhere from $50 million to $60 million per year.
Should Mayfield and the Buccaneers miss the playoffs, he’s likely looking at a 1-year, prove-it contract as a starter for another NFL team that could be worth somewhere in the range of the $30 million-plus he’s making this season.