Jason Licht Reacts To Baker Mayfield Comments
June 12th, 2026
Jason Licht
Last Friday, Baker Mayfield talked at his youth camp about being unhappy with the Buccaneers’ contract extension offer.
It felt like Mayfield was slightly annoyed but not at a level of being pissed off. So perhaps the Bucs had just the right opening offer in their quest to find a deal Mayfield and the team can agree to.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht gave his first public reaction to Mayfield’s comments yesterday during an interview with JP Peterson of FanStreamSports.com.
“We’ve had some discussions and we’ll continue to have some internal discussions and see, and try to bring this to closure one way or another,” Licht said of the Mayfield negotiations. “But no one wants to see Baker go anywhere, and no one’s worried about how Baker’s mindset is going to be. I’ve had conversations with him about that. He’s all about wanting to win. So he’s in a good place.”
Asked to react to Baker saying he was unhappy with the extension offer, Licht said he wasn’t surprised Mayfield shared his displeasure.
“I respect Baker,” Licht said. “He’s free to say whatever he wants to say. And that’s the way he’s wired and I have nothing but love for Baker. I’ll keep all that stuff internal; I never use the media for [talking about negotiations].”
Licht also repeated that the team wants Mayfield for the long haul and noted the franchise tag is a potential discussion that’s far, far away.
June 12th, 2026 at 7:44 am
I would not expect him to say anything else. It is June their is not much news going on football wise, so unfortunately we are getting hype and drama about pretty much nothing, but makes for interesting reading in June LOL.
June 12th, 2026 at 7:45 am
shut your mouth baker and keep things internal!!!…1 playoffs win 3 years ago and he thinks he has the right to use the media for negotiations….grow the F up baker…be a professional
GO BUCS!!!!
June 12th, 2026 at 7:49 am
The Bucs started the negotiation exactly where negotiations start: the low ball.
Baker’s playing the game, playing insulted and shooting for the moon.
Meanwhile, what is probably happening on both sides and what neither side can tip their hand over, is that they’ve both got roughly the same kind of deal in mind.
…you just can’t start the deal in the median range…
We’ve all had this negotiation before, most often when buying a car or a house.
Relax, BBQ fans, it’ll be fine.
…and if you didn’t get the BBQ reference, here’s a little light reading for you. Just know that you’re doing the team a severe disservice if your tailgate isn’t absolutely LIT with BBQ…
June 12th, 2026 at 7:50 am
Ok
IMO
This is no different than paying another big contract, the team is not going to sign the deal until just before camp starts.
Car accidents and any other freak injuries that could threaten the availability of the big contract player being able to walk onto the practice field.
50 plus million
Baker WILL get paid like a top starting NFL quarterback
June 12th, 2026 at 7:52 am
Yesterday in one of Joeās posts, āhard to claim negotiations right nowā¦ā
Today, āLicht said of the Mayfield negotiationsā
Hard to claim negotiations tho š¤·āāļø I hope no one really believed that ludicrous line
(Usually Joe is pretty dang spot on about Bucsā¦.that was not one of those moments)
June 12th, 2026 at 7:52 am
813bucboi, he really didn’t say anything wrong.
All he said is that everyone was still trying to work it out and that he’d like it done by training camp so it isn’t a distraction.
I would also argue that he’s done more than you claim.
June 12th, 2026 at 7:56 am
āHeās free to say whatever he wants to say. And thatās the way heās wired and I have nothing but love for Baker. Iāll keep all that stuff internal; I never use the media for [talking about negotiations].ā
I don’t want to hear from Licht. I’d rather hear from Mike Greenberg, the one who actually drafts the deals Licht negotiates.
June 12th, 2026 at 8:01 am
Not a good look,
An offer was made to start the ball rolling. Baker’s camp probably responded with suggested adjustments.
Now there are “internal” discussions going on for both sides.
I get the feeling neither side is in a hurry yet.
On Baker’s side, the dollars offered is probably at or close to, acceptable. He probably wants more than 3-4 years, with half guaranteed.
On the Bucs side, they are likely ready to commit to 3 years, but are having internal discussions anout commiting to longer.
In the end I think it will be something like $52m yr, 5 years, 2 guaranteed, with incentives.
June 12th, 2026 at 8:04 am
I say give him 4 yrs at 218M with 125 guaranteed, with some incentives, low interceptions under 10, playoffs, touchdowns over 25. He is a very competent QB, not elite but very close to elite, just needs to work on his consistency, he can have great games then stink up a few.
June 12th, 2026 at 8:05 am
Sorry not sorry but I really don’t like this ACDC loving GM. This organization is growing stagnant and needs new blood.
June 12th, 2026 at 8:05 am
A couple of years ago, seems like I remember JL describing Mayfield as being a bit of a āprickā at times. It was all in good fun, but is some truth to it. Maybe Baker should be more careful with what he says. But they want āBaker to be Bakerā, so they will get past that. Iām just glad that Baker stirred the pot a little bit- heās already getting ready for some football!
June 12th, 2026 at 8:08 am
Jason Licht is walking a tight rope here.
Baker is worth it, but Todd’s presence is a factor. We know Todd wants Baker…but if he is rired or retires next year, the next coach may want to hand-pick his QB.
One solution to the that might be Robinson. If he does well enough at OC, he’ll get head coaching interviews next year (like 2 of the last 3 Bucs OCs). If Bowles is gone, Robinson might be offered his position so that Baker finally has stability in coaching.
It’s amazing that Baker has done so well with a different OC every year. That is something that needs to be addressed.
June 12th, 2026 at 8:27 am
Kenton,
Jason called Baker āa prickā
Bakerās wife did an ESPN piece for a game early on in the season last year and after choosing her words carefully described him as ānot for everyoneā
Hahaha
June 12th, 2026 at 8:27 am
Yeah, Baker doesn’t deserve to be paid anything at all right now. Let him play out the season. If you make the playoffs and win a game or two, then give him that big contract. Otherwise, franchise tag him and possibly even draft his replacement next year.
June 12th, 2026 at 8:47 am
TEST
June 12th, 2026 at 9:00 am
āI never use the media for [talking about negotiations].ā
You just did.
And this is a bunch of nice words from a clearly pissed off man.
And I love all of the rumors out there like āmaybe Cleveland will re-sign him.ā No. Thatās just stupid.
The best contract he will get is from Tampa.
Heās not going to get $60m. IDGAF what Jordan Love or any other QB got.
This is Bakerās last chance for a multi-year big contract with upfront money. If he blows it, he will get less elsewhere and have to uproot his family.
Every offseason has to have some drama.
June 12th, 2026 at 9:12 am
If you like drama, wait until next year. JL has the cap maxed out with being forced to sign Baker, all the dead cap and the resigning of all our own free agents – many of whom will have to be let go. Hopefully, we can retain Mauch and Vea, but it’s questionable, and grim after that. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this GM bolt and leave the mess to someone else.
June 12th, 2026 at 11:22 am
Licht says:
“I’ll keep all that stuff internal; I never use the media for [talking about negotiations].ā
Uh oh. Licht is straight up telling Baker men negotiate face to face, not in the media. Baker knows the end is near and using the media is his hail mary. Once the media cycle changes this will simmer down until TC. He won’t get his deal. Using the media is a weak move.
As always. Compliments > Contract
June 12th, 2026 at 11:26 am
Badbucs, that’s not accurate.
June 12th, 2026 at 11:51 am
Buccaneer Bonzai, you and St Pete are the voices of reason on this site. The Anti-Baker Boi(s), who want Baker to āproveā himself this year before getting a new contract offer, must have been sleeping through the last three seasons because his numbers are Top 5 in the league. If the Bucs had a defense and our offensive line stayed in tact we would have gone deep into the playoffs and Bakerās stats might have been Top 2. My guess: 54M and 4 years.
June 12th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
Getting called a voice of reason! Woohoo!
I did find out that we cannot place the franchise tag on Baker next year without him causing an 80 million dollar cap hit due to dead money getting accelerated. So that means we absolutely have to sign him and the Bucs know it too. Thereās a website called sportrac where you can see all the stats on his contract. It will have to be at least a 3 year deal to spread out that dead money. Probably 4 or 5 to make it as easy as possible.
June 12th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Thereās a whole bunch of teams that will pay Baker 50-55 million. I donāt know what his market would look like for 60. We better be one of the 50-55 teams anyway. By putting 30 million worth of dead cap money in his contract itās obvious we already committed to re-signing him. Im sure the coaches know the collapse last season absolutely wasnāt his fault, so hopefully they move on this and offer him say 53@5 years or 55@4. With about half of each contract guaranteed. Iām hoping Licht sits down with Baker and talks to him about the dead cap money and they can find a reasonable way to fit it into the contract. Maybe 50 mil@ 5 years so each year can absorb 5. I dunno.
June 12th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
The important thing to realize is the cap climbs 20-35 million every single year. Thatās why most contracts become more money as they go. Bakerās probably will too. I think we can re-sign Mauch but probably not Diaby as he will be super expensive.
June 12th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
SPM
Donāt let it go to your head.
Bonzai says some of the wackiest ( and often times factually incorrect) information.
June 12th, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Bud Licht has gone flat as a hot beer in the Tampa sun.
June 12th, 2026 at 2:10 pm
Cowherd just laid it out perfectly today, as he has all off-season. He has said all along (and heās a Baker-Fan), that he likes Baker exactly where HE IS, contract wise. BUT, the more you go over that $40-MIL mark, you start liking HIM less and less, the āhigherā you get! THIS is soooo true. Especially, when you factor in the Bucsā current bargaining position and future uncertainty with A LOT of question marks (with Baker HIMSELF, being a major one of them). Plus, Bakerās OWN proven 8-year long track record of injuries, age, and inconsistent play! Then, combine the āeye-testā with your own BRAIN. It all adds up and you get what you get.
Today, just a few minutes ago, he said that there are basically 6 or 7 QBās in the league, where you just have to bite the bullet, and pay them TOP of the market $$$$, no matter what. Basically, whatever they wantā¦ YOU PAY-IT. Then, there is a āsecond levelā or tier of about another 6 or 7 QBās, where you are probably going to pay them, BUT not without doing a little āarm-wrestlingā first, and looking at your āotherā options, including drafting QBās. ALL TRUE. It just is what it is. Itās called REALITY. And, the Bucs have ALL the leverage in this one. They have him currently under contract for this season, and it is at a fair amount for BOTH sidesā¦ Plus, they have TWO āfranchiseā tags in their back pocket. Colin has been spot-on on this one. šÆ
June 12th, 2026 at 2:26 pm
It is absolutely SO ABSURD to call yourself a true āBucs Fan,ā and then be screaming and demanding that The āBUCSā (supposedly āyour teamā) just turn around and blindly hand BAKER at 32 YEARS-OLD, a brand new 5-YEAR DEAL. When, no other 32 year-old Quarterback has EVER received such a deal before (other than maybe Tom Brady and Russell Wilson). It makes ZERO sense. Itās IDIOTIC. It is extremely WEIRD as an āADULT,ā to have your own āfeelingsā overtake ārealityā and your own BRAIN, over a āprofessionalā freaking ATHLETE. And, YESā¦ Baker will be 32 when he is to start the very beginning of this RIDICULOUSLY ABSURD talk of a ā5-Year Deal.ā It. Makes. NO. SENSE. Not in ANY world. Not even in your own (ADULT) āBucs Fantasylandā World.
June 12th, 2026 at 2:36 pm
Or, more like, ADULT āBaker Fantasyland.ā Thatās all it is. I said all along there would be NO DISCOUNT. And, that just like the last go around, Baker WILL take every single last penny, that HE CAN GET. And, Iām not saying that there is anything at all wrong about thatā¦ He should do exactly that, if he wants to. Iām not blaming HIM, at all. Itās YOU PEOPLE, without ANY evidence whatsoever, have been pushing this BS false narrative. Itās ALL FAKE. Entirely, INVENTED and fantasized about inside of your own HEADS. Itās a BAKER Bucs Fantasyland. All of it. Itās very VERY Odd.
June 12th, 2026 at 2:48 pm
The disrespect that some of you show our GM Jason is unreal sometimes. He’s not perfect, nobody is. But he does do a pretty decent job most of the time. He’s just being nice and trying to stay neutral and positive.
“You cants always get what you want” -Rolling Stones…..applies to both Jason and Baker š
June 12th, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Cowherd is absolutely not a Baker fan. Even in Baker’s Cleveland days he was as negative as he could be on this side of lunacy but on the other side of honesty. As reported by Melvin, he claims to be a fan of Baker at $40M or less. instantly discounting him at a price most objective viewers consider below his current value. Neutral observers of the market are talking $50M. And sums above that are not beyond reason. Only a Baker deprecator would find $40M the upper limit at which he felt comfortable, given the escalating salary caps and general inflation. Crass dishonesty. And Cowherd’s categorizing of anonymous players and teams is fantasy gone off the tracks of reality for the sake of malice.
June 12th, 2026 at 4:31 pm
He should get the same deal as last time. Nothing has changed. Baker is an elite quarterback that doesn’t have the brain capacity to slide to avoid big hits. So he’ll come out hot and the talking heads will be surprised and talk about his MVP caliber start to the season. Sooner then later he’ll take a very avoidable hit and become the lame duck QB he becomes every year. He’ll then play injured and the talking heads will all be confused what happened. Friggin Groundhogs Day.
June 12th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
@ Mobucs – He has been for quite awhile now, at least since heās been a Buc. Though, he never hated him. He NEVER denied that he had TALENT. He whatās been šÆ CORRECT on Baker from the very beginningā¦ About NOT being THE #1 overall pick. About all the commercials, him being a distraction, very immature, and etc. He constantly takes up for Baker, and brags on him all the time. Now, none of that is neither here nor thereā¦ The bottomline being, HE IS šÆ CORRECT on this. He likes him at $40-MILLION PER. Thatās very good and is A LOT of money (and is more than fair). BUT, begins to like him less AND LESS the further away you get from that number. THIS is a TRUE statement. šÆ
June 12th, 2026 at 4:47 pm
Interesting, he’s went from we’re going to get this done, to we’re going to “try to bring this to closure one way or another.”
Then he bashed Baker for negotiating in public.
By Licht standards, that was quite the rebuke. Doesn’t mean something won’t get done, but he’s clearly backed away from previous comments that it will get done.
June 12th, 2026 at 4:49 pm
@ Mobucs – Iāve stated on here SEVERAL TIMES recently, that I would be comfortable going 3-years, and $130-MILLION, plus āincentivesā for making and winning the Super Bowl, and League MVP. Now, THAT is pretty damn STRONG for a 32 year-old Quarterback who is aging, constantly beat up and banged up, injured and hurt, inconsistent, and a MAJOR distraction. Though, I would MUCH prefer to āplay-itā out through THIS SEASON FIRST, because of the above mentioned. He has done absolutely NOTHING to trust HIM LONGTERM, in this historically, ridiculously WEAK NFC South Division. $43-MILLION+ is a REAL nice deal, and HE would be extremely SMART to take it! And, what happened to the BIG āDISCOUNTā again, that all of you have even talking about LMAO. Colin just said a few weeks ago, that HE would be willing to do $45MIL. For me personally, Iād rather play-it OUT. The Bucs have ALL the leverage. You USE IT when you have it. It is ABSURD that YOUāD be āwillingā to give him OVER $50-MIL+ PER LONGTERM at 32 YEARS-OLD, when he hasnāt even DONE anything!!!! And, when (supposedly YOUR āfavorite teamā) maintains ALL the LEVERAGE. Itās Ridiculous. Absolutely, Nonsensical. I mean, WHY ANYONE would want to do that, is just beyond ME.
June 12th, 2026 at 4:50 pm
Rod Munch – I noticed the exact same.
June 12th, 2026 at 5:50 pm
Vea has to be signed too
June 12th, 2026 at 6:05 pm
No. Vea has to be moved a before the trade deadline, when we are 2-6 or 3-5 and heading TO CHICAGO. šÆ
June 12th, 2026 at 6:31 pm
You all were screaming to give him OVER $50-MIL PER (longterm too) during the last go around with BAKER. Demanding āWHATEVER IT TAKES,ā or āPAY HIM NOW,ā youād yell. While, all along āIā SAID, 3yrs/$100-MIL TOPS (plus maybe a few incentives). None of it made ANY SENSE. And, it definitely doesnāt NOW. Iām just glad the Bucs FO didnāt listen to ANY of you people. Cause, it saved them a TON of money. Baker STILL has A LOT MORE to prove. And, his most recent public comments about HIS contract, combined with his shots taken at Stefanski just a few months ago, only proves MY POINT. He is who he is. STILL, even today, at 31 YEARS OLD, he has not learned anything. Because, he is obviously not capable of doing so. So, all of this is ALL ON HIM. He is the reason for WHY he has once AGAIN, found himself in this exact same position. Actually, having a great season LAST SEASON wouldāve been a huge help and gone a long way!!!!
June 12th, 2026 at 7:17 pm
The Bucs have to play-out this season first. There just really isnāt a number that makes any sense right now for the Bucs longterm, that would also be acceptable for Baker. So, heās just going to have to be willing to take the risk then, and play-it out. I just canāt think of a real number that makes any sense for the Bucs right now! Definitely NOT LONGTERM. I mean, I donāt even really like āMYā own deal, of 3-years, at $130-MIL. Not versus just playing-out, where you literally, have NOTHING to lose. EVEN, the 3-YEARS is very risky. BAKER, through his aged 32-34 year-old SEASONS. Seriously. Players age literally overnight, in THE NFL. Just HOW MANY āQuarterbacksā have there been PERIOD, who were truly ELITE, beyond the age of 35ā¦ Well, NOT VERY MANY. Especially, one who has been beaten up and banged up, and notoriously āinconsistentā for throughout HIS ENTIRE CAREER (and is undersized). There are just waaaayy too MANY āuncertaintiesā with the franchise as a whole, AND with Baker himself. Itās called REALITY. Youād THINK as a true āBucs Fan,ā you would want the TEAM to be smart, by proceeding with caution. To get the best deal POSSIBLE, and do whatās best for the TEAM and Franchise as a whole.
June 12th, 2026 at 7:22 pm
Team and Franchise FIRST.
June 13th, 2026 at 7:07 pm
MelvinJunior – “It is absolutely SO ABSURD to call yourself a true āBucs Fan,ā and then be screaming and demanding that The āBUCSā (supposedly āyour teamā) just turn around and blindly hand BAKER at 32 YEARS-OLD, a brand new 5-YEAR DEAL. When, no other 32 year-old Quarterback has EVER received such a deal before (other than maybe Tom Brady and Russell Wilson). It makes ZERO sense.”
Yeah, for sure. It’d be almost as dumb as signing a 31 year old QB to a deal that has him playing through the 2033 season (that’s eight years for the mathematically challenged) and guaranteeing $397 million of it.
June 13th, 2026 at 7:19 pm
Incidentally, Baker is 31 and will be 31 this entire season. Mahomes will also be 31 for 16 out of 17 games this season.
June 14th, 2026 at 11:37 am
2024 was the reason the Bucs need to wait and see because he had his best season ever and still couldn’t put up more than 20 points against Washington who only scored 23 points and secure the win. Last year really proved how detrimental he can be to this team is that it can’t cover for when Mayfield gets injured, because at his age his playing ability plummets and he refuses to come off of the field. If we sign him now to an extension then he gets injured because he always has to be that dawg then the Bucs will be hamstrung for years to come with a qb who will always be injured. We need to draft his replacement and hopefully get a head coach with assistants who know how to develop him. Being that the Bucs have never done this in it’s entire existence this might be a tall order and with Bowles here it will never happen.
June 15th, 2026 at 10:12 pm
Gosh, some people are so incredibly naive or just plain stupid when it comes to football.
This is the only sport in the world where you really have two completely different units on the same team that are separate and directly impact the outcome of the game, regardless of what the other unit does. People play both offense and defense in all other sports.
Although clearly the most important piece, the QB is just one of eleven guys that are responsible for the offense scoring points. If you think scoring is all about the quarterback, ask the Chargers why Justin Herbert sucks so much, since his teams have never won the division and he is 0-3 in the playoffs. Ask the Bills why Jim Kelly was such a horrible QB, taking the Bills to four straight Superbowls and losing them all. Ask the Dolphins why Dan Marino was such a complete disaster of a quarterback, only 8-10 in the playoffs, never winning a Suprbowl.
Better yet, ask the Bears why Jim McMahon was such a stud at QB, the Ravens how much better former Bucs QB, Trent Dilfer, was as a Superbowl winning QB than Lamar Jackson is. Or, ask the Bucs, themselves. I’m sure they will tell you that Brad Johnson was every bit as great as Tom Brady since both won a Superbowl in one of the years they played for the Bucs.
Quarterbacks do not win Superbowls, playoff games or regular season games. Teams do.
Pretending there is some mythical QB out there in the draft (or anywhere) that is Superman is delusional. The Buccaneers and the Bills are the only two NFL teams that have gone the last six years without their starting QB missing a single game.
Few QBs in the NFL right now are markedly better than Baker Mayfield. Give him the Bucs defense that Brady and Johnson had when they won Superbowls and you might see an entirely different outcome. It’s pathetically naive to think an imaginary drafted QB is going to blow away Baker Mayfield, especially in the draft spots the Bucs usually pick from.