TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is reporting to training camp without a new deal in hand.
Sources told ESPN that Mayfield and his agent have not made significant progress with the Bucs on a new contract. A deal is largely not expected by the start of the Bucs’ first camp practice on July 29, but there is still time to sort through it and potentially reach a deal, sources added.
Mayfield has one year remaining on his contract, which will expire at the end of the 2026 regular season. Sources close to the situation have stated that he would like a deal that reflects his performance and is more in line with what quarterbacks of a similar caliber are making, which includes leading the Bucs to two straight playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.
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Mayfield’s pay ranks 16th among quarterbacks in terms of average pay at $33.33 million per year. Sources also stated that Mayfield isn’t afraid of playing out the season under his current deal or playing under the franchise tag in 2027. Mayfield has expressed fondness for the Buccaneers giving him an opportunity to resurrect his career as a starting quarterback, but he also feels he helped them too, when they needed a starting quarterback in the post-Tom Brady era.
Franchise tag values are not calculated until just prior to the start of free agency each year but using the 2026 numbers as a reference point — the franchise tag for quarterbacks is $43.895 million, with the transition tag coming in at $37.833 million — both values for a single season. The franchise tag is projected to rise to roughly $50 million in 2027.
Mayfield stated in June that he and his agent would cease negotiations on a new deal once training camp arrived so he could focus on football. He also stated that the two sides were “not anywhere close” on a new deal, although he stated it would not impact his performance in any way.
The Bucs have historically moved at their own pace when it comes to negotiations and have not shown movement anytime public pressure has been applied. When former Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, who was already the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, employed a similar tactic with his agent in 2023 — saying that they would not continue negotiations once the season arrived — the two sides didn’t rush to complete a deal. Instead, Evans played out the season and the two sides reached an agreement on a two-year deal in 2024.
Evans is, however, now with the San Francisco 49ers, whom he signed with in free agency in 2026, although sources close to the situation say that those negotiations did not impact his departure.
Mayfield isn’t the only Buccaneer frustrated by not having a new deal. Nose tackle Vita Vea, a member of the franchise’s Super Bowl LV-winning team, recently requested a trade. Unlike Mayfield though — who was a full participant in mandatory minicamp — Vea was a minicamp hold-in, done to avoid fines and participate in classroom instruction while not risking injury.
