Baker Mayfield, Bucs “Still In The Same Spot”
June 25th, 2026
Same.
The update is, there is no update.
It’s a refrain Joe often uses when someone twitters Joe looking for an update on a story: Joe is not in business to hold news. If there’s an update, you’ll read it on JoeBucsFan.com.
So that’s where we stand with Baker Mayfield. Just before underwear football season closed, Mayfield mentioned he and the Bucs weren’t in the same ballpark on a contract extension. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, that hasn’t changed.
“[Mayfield] said back at minicamp a couple of weeks ago that the sides had not made any progress on a contract extension,” Pelissero said. “My understanding as of [Wednesday] is that they’re still in the same spot.
“It’s not about whether the Bucs want Baker Mayfield back or Mayfield wants to stay in Tampa. As it often is, this comes down to what does the value look like on a potential new deal?”
Pelissero suggested Mayfield is way underpaid as a franchise quarterback.
“Among the 16 veteran quarterbacks who are on franchise-type contracts, Baker is the lowest paid,” Pelissero said. “So, how far should he jump at a time the top of the market is basically double what he’s making right now?
“The sides are not on the same page on that.”
Pelissero then repeated that Mayfield is going to shut down negotiations once training camp starts. Joe doesn’t buy that for a second.
If the Bucs float Mayfield an offer he wants in, say, August, is Mayfield really going to tell the Bucs, “Nah man, you screwed up. Too late. You’ll pay next March.”
The answer to that is, um, “no.” August, September, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Day, it doesn’t matter if the Bucs offer Mayfield what he wants. Mayfield will sign that day.
Joe will again repeat for those taking a snooze in the back of the classroom. Somehow, someway, Joe is confident Mayfield will be barking signals behind center for the Bucs in Week 1 of the 2027 season.
June 25th, 2026 at 12:12 am
The Bucs will tolerate Baker until they can replace him.
Some Q — Burrow, say, or Allen — are fixtures. Not going anywhere. Not even lost playoff games will dent their status.
Mayfield is on a lower level than that. The team likes him. But he hasn’t closed the deal. The Bucs may well want to watch him this season. If he wins, great and he’ll earn his payday; if he falls short, a new face may come forward. We love him, but not that much. At least not yet.
June 25th, 2026 at 12:34 am
The sweet spot is 3 new years. It rewards Bake and keeps him happy, gives us stability through 2029, and avoids locking the franchise into a declining QB contract.
My final number: 3 years, $153M — $51M per year.
LFG!!
Ring Me
June 25th, 2026 at 12:54 am
BoriMex: I think for Mayfield, $51M works, but I’d bet it would need to be four years instead of three. Plus, there would need to be a reasonable guaranteed amount.
June 25th, 2026 at 1:19 am
I gotcha @ exbrowns02
4 years, $204 million
$51 million AAV
$115–125 million guaranteed
Large signing bonus to lower early cap hits.
Team-friendly exit after Year 3 through roster bonuses or rolling guarantees.
LFG!!
Ring Me
June 25th, 2026 at 2:00 am
Joe … ‘Joe is confident Mayfield will be barking signals behind center for the Bucs Week 1 of the 2027 season.’
Can’t say that I share your optimism Joe. Baker’s results as our QB have been ‘inconsistent’. He’s had some awesome games, he’s had some deadful games. He’s won some games for us, he’s lost some games for us. Regardless, you always knew that he was gonna give 100% every play out on the field.
Still, we’re talking not just $50 mil (Plus) per year, but also COMMITMENT on the part of the Bucs. Are they willing to commit to Baker for multiple years? I think the Glazers have every intention of letting him play 2026 without a new contract. Whether he’s our QB for 2027 & beyond will depend on Baker’s performance this season IMO.
I’m guessing that Arians, Licht & Bowles have sold the Glazers on ‘the Seattle model’. Build a TEAM that’s very good, then find an ‘adequate QB’ to run it. Seahawks long-time franchise QB Russell Wilson was gone after the 2021 season, and ‘adequate QB’ Geno Smith took over. Seahawks went 9-8 in 2022 and the same again in 2023 under Pete Carroll, then he was replaced for 2024 by Mike MacDonald. He kept Geno for 2024 & the Seahawks improved slightly to 10-7, but they replaced Geno with Sam Darnold (yet another ‘adequate QB’) in 2025. Seattle went 14-3 in 2025, and oh ya, won the Super Bowl with a very ‘adequate QB’.
But Darnold had a solid TEAM around him. Seattle was Darnold’s 5th team in his year career, but in 2024 (with Minnesota) he’d had by far the best year of his career, leading a good defensive team to a 14-3 record that season. Vikings committed though to JJ McCarthy as their next QB for 2025, and Sam Darnold moved on … to Seattle. And the rest is now history.
Bucs are trying to build that same solid TEAM, but I think we’re still trying to figure out HOW to do that. As of right now, the Seahawks offense is costing $154.9 mil and their defense $159.6 mil for 2026 (reasonably ‘balanced’ dollar-wise?). The Bucs’ offense in comparison is costing $185.0 mil and our defense $137.6 mil for 2026 (not much ‘balance’ there).
Both teams have defensive-minded HCs, but Mike MacDonald has a quality ‘assistant HC’ in Leslie Frazier (another excellent defensive mind) plus Aden Durde as their DC, along with Klint Kubiak as his OC. MacDonald BTW calls the defensive plays, BUT Durde oversees the defensive unit & in-game adjustments. IOW, MacDonald doesn’t try to ‘do it all’ like Todd seems to; he’s got lots of help from both Durde AND Frazier. That approach seems to have paid off thus far.
June 25th, 2026 at 2:53 am
There are two pesky little things working against Baker… His actual PLAY (in 2023 and 2025 – hence the reason for only getting another “prove-it” deal, they could’ve walked away from without getting absolutely CRUSHED on). And, the Franchise Tag. Nothing over 3-years/$135-MIL makes ANY sense, and “I” wouldn’t do THAT. I would ‘play-out’ the season FIRST. It only makes the most sense, given Baker’s age and track record. And, with the amount of uncertainties with THIS TEAM. But… There just happens to be AN OFFER ALREADY ON THE TABLE. So, it is all up to BAKER HIMSELF, whether HE ‘signs-it’ or NOT. It’s just that simple. Otherwise, there’s really not anything left here to discuss. HE never countered (and I am SURE that it is way more than fair)… So, if I’m the BUCS, I’m not saying another WORD. They already tried putting THEIR best foot forward. It is what it is. The rest of it is all IRRELEVANT. It doesn’t matter.
June 25th, 2026 at 3:00 am
pay the man what he wants!
June 25th, 2026 at 4:35 am
I’m thinking Mike Evans was able to glean what was happening to the lack of baker mayfield contract negotiations and bakers importance to this team; so he opted out of re-signing because the lack of a reasonable contract offer to mayfield was going to split this team apart in so many ways and Mike being a senior captain on the squad at the time decided to bail instead of living through a Doug Williams type fiasco situation and the subsequent years of fallout. No such funk exist in sanfran.
Hey, tom Brady did it. He set precedent in New England. Sometimes it can suck to be a Bucs fan you know. Watch, listen, learn.
June 25th, 2026 at 5:34 am
Mike left because of Baker it’s true! But because of his horrible play not his contract. Baker is 28-26 with us but some people don’t care about winning the superbowl. They are satisfied to see a moxie laden QB making moxiful plays!!
June 25th, 2026 at 6:05 am
Joe, you also said Evans would never leave. Just saying…..
June 25th, 2026 at 6:20 am
I’m still thinking Baker has a long term deal done by the 28th of July. I disagree with Joe that it would get done any time during the season. In fact, if it isn’t done by July 28th, I would bet it doesn’t happen. More reason to really enjoy the season. It oughta be a doozy!
June 25th, 2026 at 6:31 am
Your going to play around and make him mad,pay him now!If you don’t I hope he elsewhere and wins a super bowl
June 25th, 2026 at 6:38 am
Baker wants a One Hundred Gazillion Zillion Peso contract as he and his mini-me place their pinky fingers against the corner of their mouth. If he doesn’t get what he wants he’ll destroy RJ stadium by dropping over inflated footballs from his football looking dirigible.
Joe… just adding content to liven things up during the football void time.
June 25th, 2026 at 7:15 am
The Bucs offered Evans more money to stay and he got as far from Baker and Bowles as possible and is getting paid less. The Bucs offered something to save face in the media but if they really wanted him back, they’d overpay like they wanted to do with Mike.
The Bucs are tired of Baker and his complaining about his contract coming of a bad season doesn’t help. He throws his defense under the bus and he turns the ball over every time hes on the field…practice, regular season, it doesn’t matter. 17 more games then his Bucs stint will be over. He’ll bet on himself this year and crash and burn.
If Baker is worthy of getting paid like a top 10 QB, why aren’t any other teams trying to trade for him, to pay him what he “deserves”? Lol…the writing is on the wall…Baker isnt good.
June 25th, 2026 at 7:27 am
gotta play it out baker
GO BUCS
June 25th, 2026 at 7:56 am
Defense Rules, Baker’s play has been inconsistent for two simple reasons. One is the team he plays for has shortcomings on special teams, on defense and some would say major shortcomings at head coach. The other reason is him playing injured too often because of his aggressive style of play. That’s on the coaching! They need to be the adults in the room and sit him if he is too injured to be effective. It would also teach him a valuable lesson that if he wants to be out on the field every game, he will have to play wiser and protect himself. That’s best for the team and him. If he stays healthy he will be consistent. If the team fails to address their shortcomings, the end results will remain disappointing.
June 25th, 2026 at 8:04 am
If Baker is starting in 2027, then the Bucs wil hire a new head coach to ” Fix Baker” instead of the right head coach
June 25th, 2026 at 8:09 am
Baker can be franchised for 2 years in a row after this year, if his play justifies that expenditure. With that being said there is no scenario where long terming Baker now makes sense, especially with the quality QB’s coming out in the draft next year.
June 25th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Without Baber this team finishes last iin the NFC South. Right now it’s about posturing.but getting it done this year will be less costly for the Buc. Salaries increase every year. Baker will be singing a 50M plus annual contract.
June 25th, 2026 at 8:33 am
If the Bucs let Baker play out his current deal for this year that would be 33 million-Franchise him next year at 50 million-Franchise him the following year at 60 million-That total is about 144 mil over the 3 year span.
However if you renegotiate the current deal at anything over 50 mil per year that is over 150 mil for the same three year span. Not to mention if you make a change you eat a bunch of dead money.
June 25th, 2026 at 8:52 am
What is a “franchise – type contract”
He doesn’t care to explain what that means.
June 25th, 2026 at 9:14 am
This is a big moment for sub .500 Bright Licht. He’s no doubt twitchy having given Barely Tryin’ Zyon a large, early contract top off. No more Big Brother Bruce Arians to fight his battles. Time to stand and deliver…
June 25th, 2026 at 9:17 am
Giving Kit Kat Bowles a 9th life does complicate things. Are Bowles & Baker a package deal? Does Licht survive no matter what happens? Follow JBF for all storylines/updates.
June 25th, 2026 at 10:55 am
Franchise QB is not just a moniker. It means you accept the responsibility of the final record. Not just being a whiny little b@tch that wants more money.
Those $50 million dollar QB’s are almost all way more accomplished than Baker.
Love is the only one I would say is on Bakers level.
But Mayfield simply has not earned it. Until then I would not pay him that much.
He followed up the 2024 playoff disaster with a 2-7 meltdown and no playoffs in 2025.
If you can’t lead your team to the playoffs in a division with zero winning record teams, you are not a franchise QB. Period.
Make him play for it in 2026.