Baker Mayfield Discusses 'Disappointing' Bucs Contract Talks in Video, Says He Feels 'Undervalued'

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not reached a new deal with Baker Mayfield ahead of the final season of his current contract, which is "very disappointing" to a quarterback who is also feeling motivated as a result.

Mayfield told reporters Thursday he feels "disrespected" and "undervalued" that Tampa Bay did not lock him up long term before his training camp deadline. However, he also explained he addressed the team about the situation and doesn't plan on letting it be a distraction during the 2026 campaign.

"If you've waited this long to pay your franchise quarterback, it's only going to get worse," he said. "… I'm going to have a big year."

He also called the lack of a long-term commitment "probably the most disappointing" part of the process that saw an offer "pretty far" from what he wanted.

Mayfield's status with the team was a major storyline even before training camp with free agency potentially looming.

Yet it reached another level Tuesday when ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Jenna Laine reported the quarterback, who previously made it clear he wanted an agreement before training camp or he would shift his focus to football, planned on playing out the season before reaching free agency.

"Sources close to the situation told ESPN that Mayfield is looking for a deal that reflects his performance and is more in line with what quarterbacks of a similar caliber are making," they reported. "He is also unfazed by the potential of being franchise-tagged in 2027, sources added."

Mayfield doubled down on that deadline with his comments Thursday, adding "after today, I'm not answering any more because I'm not negotiating any more."

The two-time Pro Bowler's reveal that he feels undervalued is also notable, as he is just 16th in the league among current quarterbacks in contract average, per Spotrac.

While Mayfield's career was at something of a crossroads when he arrived in Tampa Bay ahead of the 2023 season after bouncing around from the Carolina Panthers to the Los Angeles Rams following his departure from the Cleveland Browns, he has been excellent for the NFC South team.

In three seasons as a starter, he has been a Pro Bowler twice, led the Buccaneers to two playoff appearances and two division titles, and averaged 4,079 passing yards and 31.7 passing touchdowns per year.

He helped the franchise move on from Tom Brady without a significant dropoff from the all-time great and is still just 31 years old. A new contract from the Buccaneers given that track record would have been anything but surprising, but they were not able to come to terms.

As a result, Mayfield's future will remain a major storyline hovering over Tampa Bay even if he doesn't plan on addressing it again during the season as he focuses on football and improving his value.