In the three seasons Baker Mayfield has been with the Buccaneers, he’s proven that this partnership is working for both the quarterback and Tampa Bay. Even though the Bucs didn’t make the playoffs last year, Mayfield did lead the team to the postseason the two years prior. He’s been a great fit for the team.
However, Tampa Bay has yet to lock Mayfield down with a long-term extension. He’s entering the final year of the three-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Bucs two years ago and has zero guaranteed dollars for the 2026 season.
If the Bucs decide to wait on offering Mayfield a long-term extension, then they risk the chance of losing him to another team next offseason. Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht spoke about his quarterback’s contract situation this past week.
“Baker is at the forefront of our mind at all times,” Licht said on The Drive with TKras. “All of our plans revolve around Baker. That's something that we'll get to at some point. I have had a lot of discussions with Baker about the team. We texted during the draft after some of the picks. I know he was excited about the players that we took. We have a great relationship. And listen, nobody here wants Baker to be playing for any other team, so I'll just leave it at that.”
Based on Licht’s response here, it sounds like both sides are in agreement on working together long-term, there just need to be a contract in place.
Licht recently expressed hope to keep Mayfield in Tampa Bay
Licht’s recent comments resonate with what he said at the end of March about his quarterback’s future with the organization. There’s no indication that the team wants to move on from Mayfield this offseason.
“Baker is still our quarterback. He’s one of the toughest guys on the team. He’s a great leader,” Licht said, via the Associated Press. “Everything kind of revolves around the quarterback spot. At some point, I’m sure we’ll figure something out. There’s no timetable on that.”
Licht is a big fan of Mayfield, to say the least.
“Baker is a true professional. He’s a leader of this team. I have confidence we’re going to be OK,” Licht said. “Baker is a true pro. Baker has never let us down. I’m not going to deal with hypotheticals. We love Baker.”
Where Mayfield’s contract sits amongst NFL quarterbacks
Mayfield annual salary of $33.33 million makes him the 16th highest-paid quarterback in the league per year right now. Cowboys’ Dak Prescott has the most expensive contract in the NFL as he’s paid $60 million annually. It’s not expected that Mayfield’s extension would surpass Prescott’s by any means, but the Bucs’ quarterback will definitely rise in the rankings with a new deal.
One player sitting above Mayfield in the contract list is the Colts’ Daniel Jones. He just signed an extension with the Colts after his standout year in Indianapolis, earning him $44 million annually to rank 13th amongst quarterbacks. There’s a good chance Mayfield’s extension could sit around this number.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Bucs’ GM Said About Baker Mayfield’s Contract Situation.
