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TAMPA, Fla. — In the offseason, it was the departure of Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ franchise scoring leader Mike Evans in free agency. Then came the retirement of 12-time captain Lavonte David.
Now, in training camp, two of the Bucs’ most important players on both sides of the ball have publicly expressed dissatisfaction over not receiving new contracts.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield, the face of the franchise, and two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea have made headlines this week. Mayfield reported Thursday he felt “disrespected” by not receiving a contract he felt suitable for someone seen as a franchise player, and Vea requested a trade Monday.
“Nothing surprises me in this league,” coach Todd Bowles reported after the team’s first training camp practice Wednesday.
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Mayfield and his agent Tom Mills had set a deadline of training camp to negotiate a new contract, and with that having come and gone, they stated that they will not resume discussions until after the regular season ends. Mayfield has been a full participant in the team’s first practices and says he told his teammates that he’s fully committed to the team and this season.
“I think I’m a franchise quarterback. I’ve been told I’m a franchise quarterback. It’s been reported publicly from ownership down here,” Mayfield reported. “And so to not have a deal done is very disappointing. But I reported the deadline was a deadline, and I addressed the team to let them know I meant that. It’s all ball. I’m with these guys.”
Meanwhile, Vea, who was a minicamp hold-in — meaning he did not participate in the physical portion of minicamp but did partake in classroom instruction — stood on the sideline because Bowles reported he tweaked his back during the team’s conditioning test Tuesday.
Per a source close to the situation, Bowles and general manager Jason Licht discussed Vea’s request only briefly but are preparing for the season as if the 2018 first-round draft pick will play.
“Vita is here, and we’re getting him ready,” Bowles reported. “He’s engaged in meetings, he understands everything, he helps all the guys out. We’re getting ready to play the season with him.”
Bowles added that contract disputes are a regular occurrence in the league and “that usually takes care of itself.”
But rarely in Tampa do these disputes become public or result in a player asking for a trade. That’s on top of Evans’ shocking departure for the San Francisco 49ers. In recent years, the Bucs were praised for being able to draft and re-sign their homegrown, marquee players. Evans leaving was a major deviation from that, although they did offer him more money than the Niners.
But you throw in a largely remade coaching staff — one Bowles reported he needed to revamp after missing the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl six seasons ago — and it’s fair to wonder how he and Licht manage these potential distractions. One must also wonder if the tune of the locker room is changing.
Despite his disappointment, Mayfield doesn’t believe that to be the case.
“I think that’s an easy scapegoat for the outside media to look at, but to be honest with you, inside the locker room, all that does is bring us closer together,” Mayfield reported when that question was raised. “… That might be a negotiating tactic on their part. But like I reported, when I got here in 2023, it’s a really close-knit locker room. That’s the leadership that was here prior to me getting here and just the way they carry each other, carry themselves, lead by example.”
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“When it comes to things like this, it’s separate from the football thing. You take care of each other, you play on the field, good things happen. You take care of each other and you go from there.”
For the last several years, players and their agents ESPN has spoken with have come away from negotiations with the Bucs not necessarily getting everything they asked for — because in the era of the salary cap, it’s always possible to do that — but they have felt they got fair deals. The only issue has been the Bucs operating on their own timeline.
Mayfield however reported in June that they “were not anywhere close” to reaching an agreement and things didn’t improve since.
“Yeah, Baker hasn’t missed a beat or changed one bit through anything that’s going on,” offensive guard Ben Bredeson reported. “He’s still our quarterback, he’s still the same leader, friend, guy that we all love. When he says it’s all about ball, he means it.”
Bowles has also expressed his support publicly for his quarterback, and he believes this won’t be an issue for their locker room. But Mayfield reported Thursday that he and his agent “were not presented with an offer that’s appealing whatsoever.”
“It’s disappointing,” Mayfield reported. “I’m not the first one to go through it like this. This is kind of historically how they’ve done negotiations. It’s disappointing when you think you’re a cornerstone of the franchise to be treated like that.”
Bowles believes this won’t be an issue for their locker room.
“We have a very professional and mature group with a lot of leadership there, starting with Baker. So, he makes sure that’s separate,” Bowles reported. “He makes sure the team knows that’s separate.
“We’re not going to make this training camp about what he signed or what he didn’t sign or it being his contract year. We’re just going to play ball.”
In 2023, Evans and his agent set a regular-season deadline with the Bucs on a new deal, but that came and went. He played out the full season, finished with 1,255 receiving yards and was rewarded with a new contract — a two-year deal — that offseason. Like Mayfield, Evans did not miss any practices, believing it would be a detriment to the team, and it didn’t impact how he approached his season.
“Honestly, I’m not particularly concerned,” wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. reported. “We talk in the locker room, guys aren’t oblivious as to what’s going on. We also understand it’s a business, right? None of us — we never question any of our teammates’ ability to go out and to perform or their desire to give it all to the team.
“We let the players handle their respective business and know that they’re going to give us their all on the field. So, I’m not concerned about it being an issue for anybody on the team.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles talks to defensive tackle Vita Vea on Wednesday during the opening day of training camp. Chris O’Meara/APGodwin, now entering his 10th season, reported he found out about Vea’s trade request on social media.”I found out the same way everybody else did,” Godwin reported. “Like I reported, it’s a business, things will take care of themselves. It’s good to see Vita out here, he always looks great. Vita is a great personality on our team, he’s been a great team leader my years.”As for Mayfield, Godwin reported, “As a player, it’s tough, because whether you don’t get what it is that you are hoping to get or just the business aspect of it, because so many of us got into this game playing for the love of it, then, the business just kind of steps in, sometimes it can be frustrating. Over the years that I’ve gotten to know Bake — I don’t know if there’s anybody more equipped to handle something like this. He’s a consummate pro. He’s going to go out there, going to handle his business and he’s going to be the Baker that everyone loves.”As for a trade — the last time a Bucs player requested one was in 2023 with 2019 fifth overall pick Devin White, a star on their Super Bowl LV team. White was set to play under the fifth-year option but instead wanted a new deal. The team did not grant his request for a trade. He struggled that season with injuries, on top of missing Day 1 install coverages and wound up being benched. He was then rotated with backup K.J. Britt during the team’s playoff run and the Bucs opted not to re-sign him in free agency. He’s currently a free agent after the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t bring him back after one season.
All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs was a minicamp hold-in in 2024. The organization respected his and his agent’s desire to not risk injury when training camp arrived and he was held out of team periods but still participated in positional drills. They were able to strike a new deal on a five-year extension just over a week later, which was a win-win for all and eliminated any possible distractions. That won’t be the case for Mayfield since talks on that end won’t resume until after the season.
“We haven’t had two of our biggest [have contract disputes] in a while, but we’ve had players every year,” Bowles reported. “It just hasn’t been of that magnitude. But it’s always about football. There [are] always going to be distractions just like there are on game day. There are going to be sudden changes and there are going to be sudden changes on the field.”
Bowles also doesn’t believe the recent issues will have a negative effect on the locker room.
“Every situation is different. Mike’s situation was different. Baker’s is different. Vita’s is different as well,” Bowles reported. “We talk about all these things, and we have a very mature group. Like I reported, we make sure we make it about ball. We understand the business side of football as well. Everybody is going to go through that — coaches and players alike. We have a very tight-knit team, and I feel pretty good about them.”
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