Bucs Already Demonstrated They Want Baker Mayfield
June 10th, 2026
More Baker Mayfield debate.
A week from tomorrow, provided the Bucs don’t cancel a minicamp practice, underwear football season will end.
NFL teams will shut down their headquarters. Players, coaches and front office folks will scatter the globe trying to soak in life until the NFL comes out of its annual hibernation in late July.
And it seems the Bucs have fed the NFL news cycle to carry fans over with Baker Mayfield chatter. Will he or won’t he stay?
Joe would be absolutely shocked if Mayfield holds out. That’s not in his DNA to pull something like that. Over at ESPN, Dan Graziano wonders what to make of this Mayfield contract chatter.
It’s hard to know how this situation will shake out. Tampa Bay likes Mayfield and would keep him around, but he might feel he has outplayed his current deal and ask for more than the team wants to pay him. Mayfield and the Bucs are also coming off a disappointing season, so he and/or they might want to see how 2026 goes before making a major decision.
If I had to guess, I’d say the Bucs find a way to make some kind of adjustment to Mayfield’s deal before the season starts, but I can’t say for sure that adjustment will be a long-term extension. A lot still feels up in the air right now.
Well, the Joe typing here prefers to see how this season shakes out before putting another contract offer in front of Mayfield’s face. The Bucs have shown they want to keep Mayfield around for a few years. The ball is right now is in Mayfield’s court. We heard how he responded, but how will his agent respond?
It wouldn’t shock Joe if Mayfield and the Bucs agreed to an extension during training camp, even though Mayfield has publicly stated he won’t negotiate once training camp starts.
Here’s the catch: He won’t be negotiating. Mayfield’s agent will be the guy who negotiates.
June 10th, 2026 at 6:44 am
The Baker haters will once again post that the Bucs should let Baker walk. Be careful what you wish for. A mid round pick in next years draft will not get you a generational QB. Instead, the Bucs will be relying on a backup for next year. That worked for Seattle but they had a better defense and offensive line than the Bucs have.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:23 am
I don’t think any team in the NFL views Baker as a long term franchise QB. What team can you think of would give Baker 60 million on a five year deal? He’s going to have to be happy with 3 years 100 guaranteed. I don’t think any team but Tampa would do better. Bucs don’t need to bid against themselves. Let him seek a trade if he thinks someone wants him more.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Compliments > Contract
If the Bucs like Baker then they would pay him but obviously they don’t want him. The past 2 years ended very badly for the Baker led offenses. Bakers last resort is media pressure because he has no leverage. Regardless of the reason, he played bad last year so I dont see how he deserves a raise and more years for missing the playoffs.
Be prepared to see lots of hero ball this season as Mayfield attempts to salvage his career…again.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Did the Bucs demonstrate how much they want to sign Mayfield to a contract when they had the cap space to sign him? In the offseason the Bucs restructured a number of contract’s to get under the salary cap. Had between 25-30 million. Instead of signing Mayfield, the Bucs signed number of free agents. Actions speak louder than words.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:37 am
Don’t want a distracted Mayfield. As was said yesterday, might distract the whole team some. We have a decent chance for a good year.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:40 am
“Baker deserves to go test the market”
-Something Licht might say next offseason.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:52 am
hodad & bee
i totally agree!!!!
great post!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
June 10th, 2026 at 7:57 am
Let Baker play out the season and see where we stand.
If he plays poorly or has a significant injury, let him walk. If he balls out – and the new HC wants him – tag him and then negotiate a longer term deal.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:57 am
this shouldnt be an “distraction” lol….
folks always say: baker plays with a chip on his shoulder…or he plays great when he’s pissed and has something to prove…
this should be extra motivation lol…no different than him facing the falcons or the browns….
as @bee said, baker attempts to salvage his career…again….lets see how if goes
GO BUCS!!!!
June 10th, 2026 at 8:05 am
I’m surprised that some fans don’t think this was worked out a couple of years ago. Baker’s agent would have to be a complete idiot if he let him compete without the promise of at least a market value contract. I’d say Mayfield is a top 10-15 QB in the NFL. Even fans who don’t think he’s the answer would probably give him a #15. The only issue is that some teams have overvalued certain QBs, and the Bucs may have to reel in the number slightly for a #10-15 QB.
June 10th, 2026 at 8:07 am
The Bucs want Baker –
#1) at the proper price
#2) after he proves himself for one more season
June 10th, 2026 at 8:19 am
I’m curious what “not even close” actually means? Some fans think it’s not the money, it’s the years. Not even close tells me it’s a little of both.
I’m so over this perception of players egos, like if we don’t pay Baker now, and he balls out for us, that somehow, we won’t be his first choice in signing him? Because why? We didn’t extend him before his final year of his contract? He’s made $100M from the Buccaneers. We don’t owe him anything, and he hasn’t exactly won us anything.
For those that ask, “well, what other options do we have if not Baker?” Well, I knew Jameis had played his last down with us after that last Pick 6 against ATL in overtime, and I hadn’t a clue what would come next, but we never thought Tom Brady was in play for us. Who knows what next season brings, who knows what teams are finally willing to give up on their starting QB, or who we could potentially draft. No one thought Sam Darnold would have ever been good enough to win a Super Bowl. How’d that work out? We don’t gaudy stats, we need a closer.
June 10th, 2026 at 8:41 am
Baker is too old to hand him a contract that pays $50 million plus per year.
We’ve seen his best and it was a 10-8 2024 with one playoff game losing at home to a rookie QB.
The returns will diminish year over year and that money will be a waste.
Licht and the Glazer kids should thank him and move on after 2026.
It’s not like we’re going to the SB anytime soon.
June 10th, 2026 at 8:42 am
I completely agree. If Mayfield has a down year and the Bucs part ways with Todd Bowles then the team will be able to start over fresh with a new head coach and new QB. If Baker is great and Bowles sucks then franchise Baker. If they’re both great then do the deal at the end of the season.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:14 am
Sign Baker now. He’s an excellent quarterback and we won’t find another one anytime soon. Everybody here seems to have forgotten the lost decade like it didn’t happen. It was all bad QB’s and that’s where we are heading.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:26 am
@ D-Rome
I agree.
If BM has a decent year – franchise tag him.
Then we have options.
#1) trade BM for a high draft pick
#2) let BM play on the FT for @ $50M
#3) work out a longer term deal after he is FT
It’s a win-win-win for the Bucs. Our GM holds all the cards.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:32 am
Do people really think its about the money? from what baker said, and from how the team has operated as of late i feel like the issue here seems to be length. I think baker kind of eluded to that in saying he wants to be in Tampa long term which isn’t exactly the case right now. my guess is tampa offered 3 years and baker is looking for 5. the team just doesnt commit to older players for long term deals. david was going on yearly contracts, evans last signing was 2 years. outside of otten all our offseason moved have been 2 years or less.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:32 am
Bee Says:
June 10th, 2026 at 7:32 am
“Compliments > Contract
If the Bucs like Baker then they would pay him but obviously they don’t want him. The past 2 years ended very badly for the Baker led offenses. Bakers last resort is media pressure because he has no leverage. Regardless of the reason, he played bad last year so I dont see how he deserves a raise and more years for missing the playoffs.
Be prepared to see lots of hero ball this season as Mayfield attempts to salvage his career…again.”
Only a clueless person would blame a won lost record on one player. Ignore the facts if you like but they had major injuries on the starting offensive line (down to one starter at one point), injuries in the wide receivers (down three starters at one point) and of course the putrid defense that lost several games for the Bucs.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:14 am
If you guys think it’s expensive now wait until after the season is over and it will be a baker win win for sure. Bucs already know it’s baker they just have to work the contract out on a long term deal and three years ain’t it.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:23 am
Bucs Already Demonstrated They Want Baker Mayfield
June 10th, 2026
^^^^^
I disagree with Joe on this. I think the Bucs want to franchise tag Baker and let Bowles’ last two years run out. The offer was just so Jason could say “We tried”.
Now it is up to Baker. The Bucs clearly have not indicated that Baker is their QB choice for the future. I give it 50/50 Baker takes it personally and asks for a trade. I think it is in his best interest to get out of Tampa. He can afford to keep his house here. He needs to go where he can be “the man”. Rodgers might just retire before coming here and that would free up money for the Steelers. The Bucs could get a player from them and sign Jimmy G or someone else. For a brief period I had my doubts but now I think Baker may shock the Bucs. I hope he does. I have had it with this team and pro sports in general. I believe the NFL is as corrupt as Washington D.C. What a scam ! This Mayfield situation has caused me to lose all interest. When I clicked on JBF this morning I realized I truly don’t care anymore.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:24 am
You’re not top tier Baker, sorry….and im one of your biggest supporters and was one of the first on here to say go after you. If you’re gonna be ridiculous then lets play the season out and decide then. If you’re gonna snub your nose at 52/4, oh well.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:24 am
@ Ash
It really depends on how BM performs this season.
If he leads the league in turnovers again it will be a buyer’s market.
If he has another late season collapse like 2025 it will be a buyer’s market.
If he has an injury that keeps him sidelined for multiple games it will be a buyer’s market.
BM needs to ball-out and have a great year. If he does the Bucs need to franchise tag him and make him do it again…
June 10th, 2026 at 10:33 am
Been following Baker since his Cleveland days. I believe that he’s a Top 10 QB and should be paid accordingly regardless of what his haters on this site say. He should play out the year and then jump ship. I think that there are 5-6 teams that would be very interested, 3 of which have a much better defense.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:55 am
Just curious. How long does Baker need to keep proving himself? His passing and TD numbers over the past 3 years have been in the Top 3 of QBs. Franchise tag Baker next year and he’s gone for sure.
June 10th, 2026 at 11:03 am
@ Wyoming
“Franchise tag Baker next year and he’s gone for sure.”
Maybe you have knowledge that I do not possess… Tell me exactly how this works.
The Bucs FT Baker.
Pay him $50M guaranteed for 2027.
Is he really going to hold out?
Do you believe this will increase his value in 2028?
June 10th, 2026 at 11:33 am
BM needs to ball-out and have a great year. If he does the Bucs need to franchise tag him and make him do it again…
BINGO!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
June 10th, 2026 at 11:43 am
This sucks for both Baker and the Bucs. If you FT Baker for ’27 you won’t be able to trade him as no one will pay the 2 #1 picks. If you don’t FT you don’t have any control and he leaves with no compensation. If you FT, Baker is a locker room cancer in the making, pissed off about the lack of respect 2 years in a row and no security again.
If you extend Baker for 50 and 4 and he sucks or gets hurt it is a disaster. If you don’t extend, he is likely gone for free or stuck in the FT debacle. If you extend and he plays well, all is good with the world, but you have to hope he can continue playing well for several years without injury. That’s the risk for all players but the price for QBs is exorbitant.
The other option is to trade him now. You still have control and can get some picks. Waiting until the year plays out leaves you with either overpaying if he does well, FT a disgruntled player or losing him for no compensation.
Trade him now if you can.
June 10th, 2026 at 11:56 am
Wow let’s just lose everyone.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
Trading him is stupid! good gosh, troll.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:21 pm
Marine… I do have knowledge that you don’t possess. Hopefully, I can release that information within the next three days.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:25 pm
@ Madmax
“Trading him is stupid! good gosh, troll.”
The honest scoop:
“The player must sign his one-year franchise tender before a trade can become official. Because he must sign the tender, the player effectively has veto power and can decline to sign unless the acquiring team gives him a new, long-term contract.”
So – YES, the Bucs can FT BM then work out a trade if they are unable to sign him to a longer term contract.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Losing Baker for nothing in return is stupid. Signing him to a bloated contract is stupid. I happen to like Baker, I just don’t want the Bucs stuck in a hole like the Jensen contract or to get zero compensation. Playing the FT game comes with a lot of risk. Troll? Maybe you’re stupid.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
Franchise tagging him will piss him off to no end. Sign him- NOW. Any other option is team suicide down the line.
He’s far too good to let go. And he’s still young for à QB no matter how much people try to pretend otherwise. Protect him and win.
Simple as that.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Also if you trade him now you won’t get what he is easily worth. That’s why you sign him. It’s simple marketplace dynamics. Excellent quarterbacks are extremely rare. Put Baker on Seattle last year and he easily wins a Super Bowl. He’s plenty good enough to do it so all we need to do is build a solid team around him and we get to have a near decade straight of winning football.
June 10th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
@ BadBucs
“Losing Baker for nothing in return is stupid. Signing him to a bloated contract is stupid.”
I agree 100%.
Why would any sane CEO allow a valuable asset to walk out the door without proper compensation?
That is a fiduciary crime…
June 10th, 2026 at 12:56 pm
@ BucsFan2023 Says: “A mid round pick in next years draft will not get you a generational QB.”
There is no rule that states you have to DRAFT a Quarterback (in the first round). ESPECIALLY, when you are in an obvious rebuild or retool situation, with absolutely NO SHOT at ‘winning’ a Super Bowl. Actually, that would be the LAST thing you’d want to do… Ruining YOUR young 1st-Round Draft-Pick, Franchise-QB, by putting him in an ‘impossible’ situation with a depleted roster. There are other options. CHEAP options, until you BUILD. YOUR. ROSTER. FIRST. Then, who knows… You hire the ‘right’ young modern day ‘offensive-genius’ HC (and GM), and HE makes that “Bridge-QB” look awfully darn good. There is very little difference between MOST of the ‘middle-of-the-road’ QB’s to begin with, who are ranked in that 12-24 range. A good coach and system can make MOST NFL QB’s at least look competent. And, THAT is all you’re looking for anyway, at that point. NOBODY is ‘trying’ to ‘win’ EVERY YEAR. That is just the REALITY. The key is to NOT BE ‘Delusional’ (living in a fantasyland), like A LOT of you people do. You have to have A PLAN, and know when and where to pick your spots. If it’s a disaster early this upcoming season 2-6 or 3-5 heading TO Chicago), then we have to recognize THE ‘REALITY’ ASAP… And, move EVERYONE with good value for 2027 (and 2028) Draft Capital. EVEN, the players we just signed during THIS FA-period. Only just a ‘handful’ of our current players are ‘OFF-limits’ maybe, at BEST. It is what it is!
June 10th, 2026 at 1:00 pm
50 a year , 4 years 100 guaranteed ,,, so your on the hook for 2 years if it goes bad , otherwise we will be in the land of retreads and rookies to try and find one for a few years ,,, a quality starter is worth 50 these days
June 10th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Who says we have no shot at a Super Bowl? You keep wishing that were true but it isn’t. Our offense is phenomenal when the O-line is playing, our defense is on the rise with a fresh infusion of young talent. It might be harder to get there this year than it will be next year but it’s certainly *not* impossible.
My suggestion to non-fans/trolls of this team? Go AWAY! Everybody here knows you have an agenda and keep citing the same nonsense disingenuous statistics to try to weaken this team. Keeping this team good means signing our very good players. Licht will do that.
June 10th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
Now it makes sense, why this little vlog gathers so many idiots. It is one of the Joes. Is this the same Joe who thinks Hendrickson did not sign because Evans did not sign, even though Hendrickson signed the day before Evans announced he was leaving?
No QB is going to play for his position once again like he did coming in. In fact, if they don’t sign him to a deal he should sit it out. They know what they have, either sign him to a long term or trade him. What is in the water down there?
This shaky OLine that they rolled out last year can get a QB hurt for life.
June 10th, 2026 at 1:34 pm
Reading all the comments about Franchise Tagging him next year after a good year. You guys think you are so smart.
This is how the Mayfield camp takes control. He sits out until a new contract is signed this year. In fact, you don’t mention anything of the sorts until the day before practice starts. Then a new deal will be put in place. This is how other QB’s have done it, Dak Prescott for one. Hey let Licht and the “powers to be” play games, they screw the fan base on ticket prices so let them try to sell tickets without a Franchise QB.
June 10th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
@Marine, you just took what i said out of context….i was responding to dude who said “trade him now”…. your reading comprehension is lacking! Dont take what I said and turn it into something i didnt say and respond to that as a false narrative….jeeze!
June 10th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
No. He needs to do what he said he would do. Before camp or not at all.
Licht needs to respect him.
June 10th, 2026 at 1:41 pm
Ok @ badbucs, lets trade him now! And who the h3ll is gonna be our QB? And im stupid? You take trolling to a new level f k you!
June 10th, 2026 at 2:02 pm
@ Madmax
“@Marine, you just took what i said out of context….i was responding to dude who said “trade him now”…. your reading comprehension is lacking! Dont take what I said and turn it into something i didnt say and respond to that as a false narrative….jeeze!”
OK. Perhaps I misunderstood you when you stated:
“Trading him is stupid! good gosh, troll.”
June 10th, 2026 at 2:05 pm
I’m not a Baker fan nor a hater, I simply think he’s overrated. My favorite NBA player is overrated too. People say be careful what you wish for as if this team hasn’t been mostly mediocre/bad in Baker’s tenure. Don’t try to scare me with the same thing without him. We almost always start out fast, before teams pay attention, and crumble when stakes get higher at the end. That’s not all on Baker, but he’s making the most money, we could pay someone else pennies on the dollar for the same “success!”
Bucs may end up paying him, but it’s a waste to pay 50m+ to miss the playoffs or flop first game in. We could have had the same results or better draft odds than paying all that money to Baker the last few years. Even when we were winning in the first half last season, Baker was mediocre, just fluffed up noise from coming back to steal games in the end.
If we were actually making legitimate noise in the playoffs season after season with him at the helm, I’d advocate for them paying him WHATEVER it takes to keep him! It’s crazy to pay someone all that money to helm a playoff missing or 1 and done team.
Some of you always scream hater but some people just don’t want to see their team paying all that money to end up as bad as a team with any old cheap QB in its place. Could have used that money to build up a better TEAM over that same mediocre period. None of you will ever admit that so far Baker’s tenure has been a failure, not all his fault, but he is at fault. If we do nothing again this season the same people who call out others as haters will be making excuses for Baker again, like you have the last 3 seasons. He’s never wrong or bad, it’s everything but him. Many coaches, teams, and players later and it’s still “never Baker.”
June 10th, 2026 at 2:08 pm
@ madmax
“Ok @ badbucs, lets trade him now! And who the h3ll is gonna be our QB? And im stupid? You take trolling to a new level f k you!”
Calm down buddy.
BM will be playing this season on his current contract.
If BM plays well he will be franchise tagged for 2027 or he will work out a fair deal with the Bucs.
Who has suggested BM should be traded right now?
June 10th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
“Not even close” means “I’m a team player, even in the off-season, so I’ll throw a little blood in the water and get all the sharks in a frenzy. Got to keep the Bucs in the media spotlight. Lots of free publicity.”
To take a longer view, waiting to see what happens during the season is kicking the can down the road. Next winter, when you’re planning for 2027, do you want to be still wrangling over who your quarterback will be? For better or worse, if you’ve already answered that question, you can down to making plans and changes for the next season. I know it’s exciting to speculate about choosing a quarterback in the draft, but it means you’re not making any progress in building and managing your team.
June 10th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
@Marine!!??? Realy…..Badbucs dude or something, his last line of his rant!
Look, i dont have time to be here much, ( i work, a lot) but when i do, I read what i can. So if i respond to something and call it out, trust me, im not making it up. Go back and read his post.
June 10th, 2026 at 2:56 pm
In my opinion, I don’t think that Mayfield is really concerned whether or not the Bucs extend him prior to camp or season. He’s used to betting on himself.
For the Bucs, it’s just a question of who has more leverage. Right now, the Bucs have all of the leverage. However, If they defer further negotiations until during or after the season, it may further help them, or it may hurt them.
It’s an evaluation of risk. If Mayfield’s ’26 performance is middling or worse, the Bucs win the financial equation. But if he balls out and we make a great playoff run, he then goes for a premium.
I’m thinking maybe what the Glazers meant with the earlier statement saying they don’t mind writing the big check might’ve meant “We don’t care if we pass up on a potentially better deal for us by extending him now, we’d rather see him validate his standing as top-tier QB and then pay him as such later”.
In other words, they’ll pass on paying him $50 mil/per now because they’re not concerned with paying him $60 mil/per later — if he crushes it.
Regarding the FT scenario, I agree with Matt. Mayfield seems extremely relationship sensitive. It would likely be a huge mistake to put a leash on him.
June 10th, 2026 at 3:10 pm
@ MadMax
I’m not going to pull any punches with you.
I’m going to give it to you straight.
I hope you can handle it…
My ultimate fantasy is for the Bucs to franchise tag BM. Then trade him to the Cleveland Browns for two 1st round picks.
How awesome would that be my friend?
June 10th, 2026 at 3:34 pm
You really get mad easy MadMax. I guess you can’t even suggest a plausible possible scenario without some hothead losing their mind, calling you names and cussing you out. I’ve been a fan since ’76, like Baker, don’t trust Bowles or JL. I think the FT idea is a mistake. It makes sense from the Buc’s view but only up to a point. There are a number of possible bad side effects.
We’re up against the cap next year again. 50 mil totally payable in ’27 by using the tag. Are you going to cut Vea or Mauch who need new contracts? You can’t defer any of the 50 mil.
Plenty of guys on the site would love to see Baker go, I’m not one of them. However, I’d rather trade than lose all value. I’d rather trade now and see if we can pick up some picks and get a bridge QB somewhere for this year.
June 10th, 2026 at 4:05 pm
Marine, lol….more trolling….jeeze.
June 10th, 2026 at 4:21 pm
BucsFan2023 Says:
June 10th, 2026 at 6:44 am
The Baker haters will once again post that the Bucs should let Baker walk.
————
He’s literally under contract, fully guaranteed for the year. Literally seeing no one saying let him walk this year – the Bucs can’t even do that if they wanted to.
If you mean next year – who in the world is saying if he has a great year to let him walk? Again, no one.
The Baker Boi dramaqueens with their fake news narrative are a bunch of dopes.
June 10th, 2026 at 4:25 pm
Marine Buc Says:
June 10th, 2026 at 3:10 pm
@ MadMax
I’m not going to pull any punches with you.
I’m going to give it to you straight.
I hope you can handle it…
My ultimate fantasy is for the Bucs to franchise tag BM. Then trade him to the Cleveland Browns for two 1st round picks.
How awesome would that be my friend?
———–
They should have traded him for Garrett, AND made them include a 1st rounder as well. They’re so inbred and brain damaged in Cleveland, they’d have leapt at the chance to get him back at any price. They really think Baker’s one year of success in Tampa wasn’t due to playing a bad division with HOF talent all around him and a great OC, but that Baker himself is a future first ballot HOFer who they let get away. Which, not shockingly at all, is the same thing the Baker Boi(s) think – it’s almost like the Browns fans and the Baker Boi(s) are one in the same…
June 10th, 2026 at 4:54 pm
MelvinJunior Says:
June 10th, 2026 at 12:56 pm
@ BucsFan2023 Says: “A mid round pick in next years draft will not get you a generational QB.”
There is no rule that states you have to DRAFT a Quarterback (in the first round). ESPECIALLY, when you are in an obvious rebuild or retool situation, with absolutely NO SHOT at ‘winning’ a Super Bowl. Actually, that would be the LAST thing you’d want to do… Ruining YOUR young 1st-Round Draft-Pick, Franchise-QB, by putting him in an ‘impossible’ situation with a depleted roster. There are other options. CHEAP options, until you BUILD. YOUR. ROSTER. FIRST. Then, who knows… You hire the ‘right’ young modern day ‘offensive-genius’ HC (and GM), and HE makes that “Bridge-QB” look awfully darn good. There is very little difference between MOST of the ‘middle-of-the-road’ QB’s to begin with, who are ranked in that 12-24 range. A good coach and system can make MOST NFL QB’s at least look competent. And, THAT is all you’re looking for anyway, at that point. NOBODY is ‘trying’ to ‘win’ EVERY YEAR. That is just the REALITY. The key is to NOT BE ‘Delusional’ (living in a fantasyland), like A LOT of you people do. You have to have A PLAN, and know when and where to pick your spots. If it’s a disaster early this upcoming season 2-6 or 3-5 heading TO Chicago), then we have to recognize THE ‘REALITY’ ASAP… And, move EVERYONE with good value for 2027 (and 2028) Draft Capital. EVEN, the players we just signed during THIS FA-period. Only just a ‘handful’ of our current players are ‘OFF-limits’ maybe, at BEST. It is what it is!
You have already given up on the Bucs for many seasons to come? Injuries derailed their season last year. The offensive line was a disaster. At one point they only had one starter available.ME was out for the second half of the season and the list goes on.
They can be very good this year if the injury bug stays away. Personally, I’d like to see Baker play out the year and take an offer from another team that has a good defense and just needs a decent QB.
June 10th, 2026 at 6:20 pm
It is clear that there are posters here that despise Baker so much that if the Bucs somehow go to the Super Bowl and even if they were to win it, they would still despise him and would never give him any credit. I wonder where that irrational hate is rooted. Is it because of their devotion to Jameis or because he followed Brady who is impossible to follow? Or maybe because they view Baker as the guy that deprived Kyle Trask of his chance? I’m a big Baker fan and my view is that he deserves to be paid like Goff, Love, Purdy, etc. At the same time, I understand that because of his age and the way that he plays, he is a higher risk. I can see why the Bucs wouldn’t want to commit too many years into the future because of that. Baker should understand that as well. It’s not fair maybe but it is the reality. I’ve said it before, Baker should have got his bag from the Browns long ago.
June 10th, 2026 at 6:25 pm
The problem in Cleveland is not the people. It’s not the city anymore that is the mistake by the lake, it’s their football team!
June 10th, 2026 at 6:34 pm
Rod Muncher says…. They’re so inbred and brain damaged in Cleveland
This is coming from some who knows about inbreeding and brain damage. Rod Muncher has both
June 10th, 2026 at 6:38 pm
Rod, Hall of famers all around Baker? I can think of two, Tristan Wirfs and Mike Evans and Baker got the tail end of Evans, who missed close to the equivalent of one full season’s worth of of games in he three seasons they played together. And the offense has been pretty good in those three seasons on the whole. Who were the hall of famers on defense? And who was the hall of fame coach?
June 10th, 2026 at 7:37 pm
Baker has had a new O.C and had to learn a new system for the last SEVEN YEARS!! And when he had a decent one in Coen and was healthy he had 41 touch downs, threw for over 4500 yds had a QB rating of 106.8, and a completion rate of almost 70%!!! Yet some of u think he is average and deserves a 3 yr- 100 million dollar contract like last time!? When people like Tua, and Lawrence, and Danny Dimes, and Dak are making a fortune. The best thing for Baker is the Bucs to not give him his fair due contract before the season, because if u know anything about this dude, that slight, with facing the Browns this year who dismissed him after he took that hapless team to the playoffs, is gonna face his old couch in Atlanta twice a year who cut him, and now will want to show Evans he backed the wrong horse in ole Purdy, oh man look out!! I for one am gonna pound all his stats over on the Hard Rock app this year and clean up!!$$$ If he stays healthy and Robinson is a decent coordinator then look the frig out!! Cant wait to watch the fireworks, and the Bucs will have to break the bank to keep him then
June 10th, 2026 at 9:28 pm
This is the only fan base that believe that a quarterback that’s on his 4th team is a franchise quarterback lol ?? .
June 10th, 2026 at 9:47 pm
Oscar Says:
June 10th, 2026 at 6:38 pm
Rod, Hall of famers all around Baker? I can think of two, Tristan Wirfs and Mike Evans
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The ‘s’ in HOF’ers means more than one, and you just named two.
So there you go.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:00 pm
We all love Tristan ,,, 100% not a hall of famer at the moment ,,, maybe our kicker if he keeps it up
June 10th, 2026 at 10:24 pm
Mayfield’s contract voids on February 20, 2027
There is dead money allocated to each year thru 2029
If a contract extension is not reached by then his void years accelerate and the Bucs take a dead money cap hit in 2027 of $30.15 million
If he leaves in free agency the Bucs take a dead money cap hit in 2027 of $30.15 million
If they franchise tag him he will count $50.67 million in salary PLUS the $30.15 dead money hit for a total of $80.82 cap hit for 2027
If they extend him prior to February 20, 2027 the $30.15 million can be spread out over the duration of the new contract
While NONE of us can know how this will play out, it is fairly safe to make a few assumptions:
The Bucs are unlikely to use the franchise tag and have Mayfield account for $80.82 million against the 2027 cap
The Bucs are less likely to want to let him walk and absorb a $30.15 million cap hit on a player that is no longer on the team
Extending Mayfield’s contract would allow for structuring that would lessen the cap hit for 2027 to a level at or below the 2026 cap hit he accounts for now.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:26 pm
Rod, why not just say a couple of hall of famers or two hall of famers. You said Baker had hall of fame talent all around him. I think any reasonable person would assume that means more than 2.
June 10th, 2026 at 11:15 pm
Oscar Says:
June 10th, 2026 at 6:25 pm
The problem in Cleveland is not the people. It’s not the city anymore that is the mistake by the lake, it’s their football team!
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No Oscar, it’s the owners — and how they negatively affect management structure from the top down. Jimmy and Dee Haslam shouldn’t have gotten into the business of professional football business. They run it like a truck-stop chain and it shows.
June 11th, 2026 at 8:25 am
@Gotti-Dog
Exactly why the Bucs really don’t have the luxury of playing out the season and slapping on the FT. The number of teams willing to give up 2 1st rounders in trade is pretty slim also. If he has a decent year and they don’t tag him, he hits the open market.
They can slap a tag on to get some time to work a new deal, but if he has a mediocre year or an injury and they don’t want to keep him, they won’t tag him either. Off he goes, no compensation.
Choices are resign him, trade him this year while you can still pick up a bridge QB or let him go for nothing.
June 11th, 2026 at 11:53 am
“Badbucs Says:
Choices are resign him, trade him this year”
The ONLY way to avoid a $30.15 million dead money cap hit in ’27 is to re-sign him. ALL other options result in the acceleration of the cap hits which are now spread out thru ’29.
Financially, a new contract is the only option that is realistically viable.
June 11th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Franchise Tag is not an option as previously pointed out. The cap hit would be massive. It was smart of Baker’s agent to have the void date so early.
Baker holds all the leverage unless Tampa just wants to go in to complete rebuild mode in 2027.
Regardless of what any Baker detractor thinks, he is a top 10-12 QB at worst and top 5-7 QB at best. He is the NFL’s all time playoff QB rating holder. He has as many playoff wins as almost anyone not going the HOF among active QB’s.
Multiple time Pro Bowl QB’s don’t hit the open market unless an organization just wants to tank.
Pay him and our window stays open for the foreseeable future. Don’t pay him and we become the Jets, Titans, and Browns peers.