Baker Mayfield has outplayed his $33 million per year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past couple of seasons. But considering the two-time Pro Bowler is now entering the final year of his contract, the question is whether the Buccaneers would extend their franchise quarterback in the coming months, especially after a down season, where Tampa Bay failed to make the postseason. While it’s still up in the air, Mayfield has already set the deadline for his team.

“Contract stuff, it’s happening, it’s starting, the talks and whatnot, but not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” said Mayfield. “So, we’d love to be here long-term. And as of right now, that’s not exactly the case. But I’m under contract for 2026, and the guys in the locker room, the staff know that I’m still gonna be me.

“I’m still gonna do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. And that’s, to me, that’s the priority; everything else to take care of itself. Obviously, I would love to have a long-term deal done. But they know my deadline is as soon as training camp starts. We’re not doing any contract stuff, it’s all ball.”

After reviving his career with the Buccaneers back in 2023, where he threw for 4044 yards and 28 touchdowns, leading them to the playoffs, Mayfield signed his three-year, $100 million deal ahead of the 2024 season.

Now, he’s entering the final year of that contract with a cap hit of just under $40 million, per Spotrac. And while he experienced a down year in 2025, throwing for 3,693 yards and 26 touchdowns after posting 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024, Spotrac still projects Mayfield’s market value at four years and $214.4 million, carrying an average annual value of more than $53 million.

The Buccaneers know that franchise quarterbacks at cheap money don’t stay with the team much longer. This is exactly why Tampa Bay would like to meet its quarterback’s demands. If the Bucs match Mayfield’s market value, the quarterback would easily surpass Daniel Jones’ $44 million per-year deal.

Mayfield has already set the deadline; it’s now up to the front office to extend the 31-year-old. Back in April, general manager Jason Licht admitted that the Buccaneers are looking to build the team around Mayfield.

“Baker is at the forefront of our mind at all times,” Licht said. “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.”

Ever since becoming the Buccaneers’ quarterback in 2023, the 31-year-old has thrown for over 12,000 yards and 95 touchdowns, with a completion rate of 66.3%. In that stretch, he has led the Buccaneers to the playoffs a couple of times.

The 2025 season, however, turned out to be a disappointing phase for both Mayfield and Tampa Bay. The Bucs opened the year with a strong 6-2 record, thanks in large part to the quarterback’s ability to deliver in multiple late-game situations. However, the team lost six of its final eight games. And while they did defeat the Carolina Panthers in the season finale, they failed to make the postseason for the first time with Baker Mayfield as the starting quarterback.

That said, the Buccaneers are currently amid the OTAs, which started last week, and will conclude on June 11. Reportedly, the players had an even better turnout in the week 2 practice, with more names joining the squad. Linebackers Yaya Diaby and Chris Braswell, who missed week 1 of the OTAs, were available in addition to Luke Goedeke and Keionte Scott. However, Outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad, who also happened to miss the OTAs last week, was absent from Tuesday’s session as well.

From there, Tampa Bay will open the mandatory minicamp from June 16-18 before heading to the training camp next month. And Mayfield would like to put pen to paper before the training camp, as he doesn’t want to negotiate contract terms during the season.

Speaking of the 2026 season, Mayfield and Tampa Bay are heading to the forthcoming season without their veteran receiver, Mike Evans, after he signed with the San Francisco 49ers earlier this offseason. Mayfield, meanwhile, recently addressed Evans starting for the 49ers rather than the Buccaneers.

Baker Mayfield expressed his disappointment at losing Mike Evans

The Buccaneers lost two of their franchise icons this year. While linebacker Lavonte David called it a career after 14 seasons in the NFL, wide receiver Mike Evans left for the 49ers in free agency after starting for Tampa Bay for over a decade. Now, Baker Mayfield has addressed the Bucs heading into the 2026 season without Evans, calling the situation disappointing.

“No way to sugarcoat it. It was disappointing, to not have him back,” Mayfield said.

Across 12 seasons with the Bucs, Evans accumulated over 13,000 yards and 108 touchdowns. With Evans set to start for the 49ers after signing a three-year deal worth up to $42.4 million, Chris Godwin Jr. will now lead Tampa Bay’s wide receiver room.

“He’s always been an unbelievable leader, but for him to really take charge of that room,” Mayfield said of Godwin.

Apart from Godwin, the Buccaneers have Jalen McMillan to complement the wide receiver room. That said, while Tampa Bay had a disappointing finish to the 2025 season, the team is now looking forward to a fresh start for the 2026 season.