The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dealing with uncertainty on both sides of the ball. On defense, nose tackle Vita Vea has already requested a trade. On offense, quarterback Baker Mayfield is still waiting for a contract extension. Earlier this offseason, Mayfield made it clear that if a new deal wasn’t finalized before training camp, he would pause negotiations and shift his full attention to preparing for the 2026 season.

Now that training camp is underway, the veteran quarterback has stayed true to that stance. However, he also acknowledged his disappointment over not having a contract in place despite being the Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback.

“I really know what I’ve brought to this franchise leadership-wise and even play-wise,” Mayfield said at training camp. “It’s been some of the best years of my career, and I think it’s only gonna trend upwards. Just being comfortable and feeling that, so, disappointing in that regard to not, you know, feel disrespected a little bit, and that’s really the disappointing part to feel undervalued after thinking you’ve earned it.”

Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract ahead of the 2024 season and is now entering the final year of his existing deal. But it won’t be wrong to say that the quarterback has outplayed his $33 million annual average deal. While there’s no denying that he failed to lead the Buccaneers to the playoffs despite a solid start last season, Mayfield has proved that he’s a franchise quarterback in Tampa Bay.

In the past three seasons, Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to a 27-24 record in the regular season, while throwing for over 12,000 passing yards and 95 touchdowns. However, the contract talks in Tampa Bay haven’t progressed yet. In fact, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Mayfield “knows he can be franchise tagged next year, which would at least be around $47 million in 2027. So he’s all good there.”

At the same time, however, Fowler’s report surfaced after the contract negotiations had reportedly fallen apart. Per reports, Baker Mayfield and his agent have not made any significant progress on a new contract for the quarterback. While there’s no denying that Mayfield is only focusing on football and has shut down the negotiations, he’s still disappointed with the franchise.

“I think I’m a franchise quarterback,” Mayfield added. “I’ve been told I’m a franchise quarterback. It’s been said publicly from ownership down here. And so to not have a deal done is very disappointing. But I said the deadline was a deadline and I addressed the team to let them know I meant that it’s all ball. I’m with these guys.”

That’s where things stand with Mayfield. He will earn $40 million in 2026, and there’s still a possibility of a franchise tag in 2027. However, considering the ownership has made it clear that Mayfield is their franchise QB, he’s still expected to sign a new contract worth over $50 million annually. Whether that happens before the 2026 season, however, remains to be seen.