Baker Mayfield, Bucs Agree to Surprise Contract Extension, Latest Rumors on New Deal

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reaffirmed their long-term commitment to Baker Mayfield by giving the quarterback a three-year, $165 million contract extension on Tuesday.

Mayfield signed his last contract in 2024, and its three-year term meant the Bucs would quickly face another decision about prolonging his stay on the Gulf Coast.

General manager Jason Licht told The Athletic's Jeff Howe last July he didn't want the two-time Pro Bowler going anywhere.

"I love Baker. I love everything he's done for us," the GM said. "The goal for us is for Baker to continue to be the player that he is, and at some point, we reach an extension when the time is right and he continues to be our quarterback for a long time. That's the goal."

Days later, Tampa Bay restructured Mayfield's contract, which didn't add any years or new money.

Heading into the 2026 season, the lack of an extension became a more contentious point from the player's perspective.

Mayfield didn't hide his frustration over failing to make a breakthrough before training camp.

"So, disappointing in that regard to not have … to feel disrespected a little bit," he told reporters. "That's really the disappointing part, to feel undervalued after thinking you've earned it. This is not a 'poor me' thing. There's a lot amount of people who have it way worse off. But I can sit here and look at other quarterbacks and peers and evaluate myself based on that and put myself in certain categories that I deserve to be compensated for that."

The 31-year-old far surpassed everyone's expectations in his first season with the team, and he showed in 2024 his renaissance was for real. He threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, once again helping the Buccaneers win the NFC South.

The Bucs and Mayfield both went backward in 2025.

The team finished 8-9 and was second in the NFC South, losing the tiebreaker with the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield, meanwhile, had 3,693 passing yards and 26 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. However, he actually finished one spot higher in ESPN's QBR (12th; 61.3) than in 2024.

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin combined to log 17 appearances, which dealt an obvious blow to the passing game.

In general, Mayfield's stock didn't drop to a significant degree. He tied with the Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold for 14th in the annual QB tiers from The Athletic's Mike Sando. He was in Tier 2 for the second straight year.

"He probably fluctuates from a 3 to a 2, with some (Tier) 1 games in there," one executive told Sando. "A little bit of a reckless play style, a little smaller guy. You saw some wear and tear catch up to him last season. I lean towards a 3."

Since signing with the Bucs, Mayfield has displayed the self-assurance and creativity in the pocket that made him a college football legend at Oklahoma. Maybe he'll never fully live up to his No. 1 overall pick status, but Tampa Bay has every reason to believe he'll continue being an effective starter.

There's some risk as Mayfield gets older, and he has probably hit his ceiling as a fringe top-10 QB. He's unlikely to take another big leap with his performance.

The dilemma from the Bucs is that they had no guarantees of getting an upgrade in the immediate future. They're playing it safe here and taking the sure thing.