Negotiations with Bucs bumpy.
Well, Baker Mayfield talked. And Joe is guessing some Bucs fans won’t like what he had to say.
The Bucs’ Pro Bowl quarterback, who has led the team to NFC South titles in three of his first four years in town, spoke for the first time to assembled media at One Buc Palace today since last season. And, sadly, his contract talks with the Bucs seemed to be the focus of discussion.
Mayfield is in a contract year this fall. He emphasized how much he wants to remain with the Bucs and be part of the Tampa Bay community, as he and his wife recently had their second child, both born in Tampa.
But the contract talks with the Bucs aren’t as smooth as Mayfield would have preferred. Mayfield noted his representatives and the Bucs are far apart, documents Jenna Laine of ESPN.
“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.”
Mayfield noted that once training camp starts, he’s not discussing his contract. Football and his teammates come first.
“It’s not up to me when that gets done by,” Mayfield said. “So hopefully before that. If not — still going to have a good year.”
And Mayfield underlined how much he wants to be the Bucs’ quarterback for years to come.
“We’d love to be here long-term. And as of right now, that’s not exactly the case, but I’m under contract in 2026,” Mayfield said. “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 a priority. Everything else take care of itself.”
The two Joes have gotten into beer-can throwing fights — fortunately, they were all dead soldiers — at JoeBucsFan.com world headuarters over Mayfield’s contract.
One of the Joes wants Mayfield signed immediately, as in last month. The other Joe, with the collapse last year losing seven of the final nine games to miss the playoffs freshly in his memory stick, wants to see how this season plays out before putting a contract in front of Mayfield.
One way or the other, Joe suspects Mayfield will be the Bucs quarterback in 2027.
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