By The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have enjoyed a lot of success over the last three seasons, and no player has been more responsible for that resurgence than quarterback Baker Mayfield.
After arriving in Tampa Bay in 2023 on what amounted to a prove-it contract, Mayfield has rebuilt his career, silenced his critics, and re-established himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
He has also led the Buccaneers to multiple NFC South championships, become a respected leader inside the locker room, and given the franchise stability following the retirement of Tom Brady.
However, the biggest storyline surrounding the Buccaneers isn’t what happens on the field. It’s what happens at the negotiating table.
Mayfield is entering the final season of the three-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2024. While both sides have expressed a desire to continue their relationship, negotiations on a long-term extension have progressed slower than expected.
Mayfield has made it clear that Tampa Bay is where he wants to be.
“I would love to be there,” Mayfield recently said. “I think both sides want to get it done. Now it’s a matter of finding that middle ground and what makes both sides happy.”
Earlier this offseason, Mayfield admitted negotiations were “not anywhere close” to where he expected them to be and established the beginning of training camp as his deadline for contract talks.
I’d love to have a long-term deal done,” Mayfield said. “As soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing any contract stuff. It’s all ball.”
Quarterback salaries have exploded over the last several years.
The NFL’s elite quarterbacks are now earning between $55 million and $60 million per season, with fully guaranteed money approaching or exceeding $150 million on many contracts.
Dak Prescott is at $60 million, while Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence are all at $55 million per year.
Mayfield isn’t in that top quarterback tier alongside Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson.
But he also isn’t being paid like the quarterback he has become.
His current average salary of roughly $33.3 million annually ranks well below the upper half of starting quarterbacks despite producing Pro Bowl-caliber football over the past several seasons.
What is Baker Mayfield Worth?
As Mayfield’s camp begins negotiations, it’s likely they will ask for something approaching $50 million annually, knowing that’s where quality veteran quarterback contracts currently begin.
Some NFL folks believe an opening request could even reach $60 million per year before negotiations settle into a more realistic range.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, must decide whether Mayfield belongs among the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks.
There are compelling arguments on both sides.
First, quarterbacks don’t grow on trees.
Tampa Bay knows better than most organizations how difficult it is to find competent quarterback play. Before Brady arrived, the Buccaneers spent years searching unsuccessfully for a long-term answer.
Mayfield has given them that.
He’s become an outstanding leader, embraced the city, earned the respect of teammates, and consistently played winning football.
He’s also proven he can thrive despite coordinator changes, injuries around him, and enormous expectations following Brady’s retirement.
That’s not luck. That’s growth
At the same time, Tampa Bay has legitimate reasons for caution.
Mayfield has played outstanding football, but he hasn’t consistently performed at the MVP level occupied by the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks.
The Buccaneers also watched their 2025 season unravel after a strong start, raising questions about consistency entering 2026.
General manager Jason Licht has built one of the NFL’s deepest rosters by avoiding reckless contracts.
Committing more than $50 million annually to one player inevitably limits future flexibility.
The Buccaneers must also account for upcoming extensions involving younger stars while continuing to build a championship roster around Mayfield.
Vita Vea, YaYa Diaby, Cody Mauch, Chris Godwin, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are due for new contracts in the next year or two.
The most logical outcome appears to be somewhere in the middle.
A contract averaging between $45 million and $48 million annually over four or five years would reward Mayfield while still keeping him just below the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks.
Such a deal would likely include well over $100 million in guarantees and cement him as Tampa Bay’s franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Sometimes quarterback contracts aren’t always about where a player ranks statistically. They’re about replacement value.
If the Buccaneers allowed Mayfield to leave, who realistically replaces him?
That answer alone significantly increases his value.
It seems that Baker Mayfield has all the leverage in these negotiations.
If negotiations stall and he delivers another playoff season, his price only rises.
Should he reach free agency, there would almost certainly be multiple quarterback-needy franchises prepared to offer massive contracts.
The Buccaneers have invested too much in the building around Mayfield to simply let him walk away.
That’s why both sides continue expressing optimism despite the lack of an agreement.
Based on today’s quarterback market, a deal worth approximately $180 million to $225 million over four or five seasons feels like the sweet spot for both sides.
That would place Mayfield among the NFL’s better-paid quarterbacks without resetting the market, while giving the Buccaneers long-term stability at the game’s most important position.
Jason Licht rarely allows cornerstone players to leave the building.
Now it’s simply a matter of finding the middle ground that both sides keep talking about.
