The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should enter the 2026 season with a ton of urgency after missing the playoffs last year. Fortunately, the Buccaneers brought in an excellent draft class that should provide a spark. Tampa could also make another significant move to guarantee their future at the quarterback position.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated did some digging into what a potential Baker Mayfield extension could look like in a recent article. Breer spoke with a few prominent agents on Friday to get feedback on what Mayfield might land.
The consensus was clear that Mayfield should command at least $50 million per year as a baseline for his services.
“There is very little argument Baker is worth less than 50 over the first three,” said one agent. “If I'm Baker, I’m asking for 60 (per in new money),” said another.
Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract with Tampa before the 2024 season. That deal, which paid him $33.3 per season, expires after the 2026 season.
The quarterback market is always rising in the NFL and has changed a lot since 2024. Now Mayfield is due a massive raise on a new contract, which the Buccaneers are seemingly comfortable giving him.
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There is no indication that Mayfield will hold out during contract negotiations. In fact, negotiations seem to be going well for both sides. But it is still early days.
Mayfield declared that negotiations are “not anywhere close” to done during a recent interview.
“Contract stuff is starting; it's happening. Not anywhere close to what we're thinking, but I'd love to be here long-term, and as of right now, that's not the case. But I'm under contract for 2026, and the guys in that locker room and the staff know that I'm still going to be me,” Mayfield said via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
At this point, it appears that Buccaneers fans have nothing to worry about and can simply wait for a deal to get done.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should enter the 2026 season with a ton of urgency after missing the playoffs last year. Fortunately, the Buccaneers brought in an excellent draft class that should provide a spark. Tampa could also make another significant move to guarantee their future at the quarterback position.