After months of contract talks going nowhere, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had issued a training camp deadline to get things done. But that deadline is here, and he still doesn’t have a new deal. While many worried a holdout might be in the cards, the latest reports on No. 6 are positive.

“Sources say quarterback Baker Mayfield is reporting to training camp today without a new deal,” ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported on X. “He and his agent have not made significant progress, and a new deal is not expected before the team’s first practice tomorrow.”

After taking the Bucs to the playoffs in his very first season with the team (2023), the front office had awarded him a 3-year, $100 million extension. But now entering the final year of that deal, a $33.3M AAV doesn’t match the ceiling of a quarterback who played every single game the last three seasons, orchestrated 7 fourth-quarter comebacks, and posted at least 3,600 passing yards in each of those seasons.

The market has moved, and Spotrac’s projection of his market value now stands at 4-years, $212.4M, with an AAV of $53.6 million. Earlier this month, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio had highlighted that the team could franchise tag Mayfield for 2027 if he plays well. But Florio had also highlighted something troubling for the Bucs.

“But if Mayfield has a good-not-great year, and if the Bucs play it out with the same belief that they’ll offer him more than anyone else, here’s where Mayfield’s moxie can become a problem for the Bucs: he could take less from another team, just to prove a point,” Florio wrote.

So far, there are 12 quarterbacks in the league making more than $50M a year. If the Bucs meet his market projection, Mayfield would become the eighth highest-paid quarterback in the league. And if both sides cannot reach an agreement, Mayfield stands to become one of the most sought-after free agents in 2027. Despite the stalled contract talks, Mayfield’s own words from June painted him with a team-first mentality, and now, it looks like he’s standing by that statement.

“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done,” he said last month. “But they know my deadline – as soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing contract stuff. It’s all ball. So, it’s not up to me when that gets done by. So, hopefully before that. If not, we’re still going to have a good year.”

Baker Mayfield missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019. He will now aim to improve on last season’s 8-9 disaster. He’s showing up and doing his part already, and if the Buccaneers can’t break the bank for him, quarterback-needy teams will jump at the chance to land a team-first player like him next season.