Latest Baker Mayfield Rumors Reveal Bucs' Confidence Level for New Contract After QB's Comments

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still confident they can get a contract extension done with Baker Mayfield despite the quarterback saying Friday the two parties are "not anywhere close" to an agreement, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday.

"It's early in the negotiation process. I'm told the Bucs remain confident that they can try to reach a deal with Mayfield," Fowler reported Saturday on ESPN's SportsCenter. "They've got about seven weeks around training camp to try to get this done, so they're confident. They believe he's got proof of concept; three years of good play there.

"Now, Mayfield's point of view here is pretty simple; he's the 16th highest-paid in the league. There are 11 quarterbacks making $50 million or more right now. He feels he's outplayed a couple of those guys. So, he deserves a significant increase. It just depends on how far the Bucs are willing to go."

Mayfield said Friday during a youth football camp he is only willing to negotiate until the start of July training camp, per Fox Sports' Greg Auman.

Should an extension not be finalized by that point, Mayfield indicated he would be willing to play the 2026 season on an expiring contract.

Mayfield said Friday his representatives had begun negotiations with the Buccaneers, but didn't sound confident the parties were close to a compromise."

"It's happening, it's starting, the talks and whatnot, but not anywhere close to what we were thinking," Mayfield said. "Would love to be here long-term, and as of now that's not exactly the case."

Mayfield concluded: "Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done... if not, we're still going to have a good year."

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in February the team's "thoughts on Baker haven't changed," and added in April an extension was something the team would "get to at some point."

Mayfield is making $33 million in annual average salary on his current contract with the Buccaneers, which is set to expire after the 2026 season.

The quarterback is looking to cash in on his first two seasons with the Buccaneers, during which he recorded two 4,000 passing-yard campaigns and led the Bucs to consecutive playoff appearances.

The Buccaneers missed out on last postseason after a 5-1 start due to a second-half slump as Mayfield played through multiple injuries.

The Bucs, which have since spent the offseason adding defensive depth and working on replacing wide receiver Mike Evans by committing, are hoping for more success behind a healthy season from Mayfield in 2026.

Whether or not Mayfield's contract status remains a topic of discussion during that campaign could hinge on whether Licht is able to find compromise on a new deal by the time training camp starts in July.