Shaun King Talks Baker Mayfield Contract Standoff
June 22nd, 2026
Former Bucs QB Shaun King watched a practice years ago with Bucs GM Jason Licht.
One of four quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game, Shaun King is a guy Joe pays attention to because not only are his takes well considered, he’s a lifelong Bucs fan from St. Petersburg.
King hammered the Bucs in December for uninspired play, aka players grabbing a fat Team Glazer check and then playing uninspired ball.
“Everybody on our defense that’s been eligible to get a bag has got a bag, and they be out there like they don’t give a good god damn,” King told The Coach JB Show in December.
“A debacle like that on Thursday Night Football where you’re up 28-14 with everything at stake you just fall on your face? … We made Kyle Pitts look like the reincarnation of prime Tony Gonzalez. Like are you kidding me?”
Ironically, Buccaneers co-owner Joel Glazer thinks the Bucs fought like dogs for Todd Bowles week in and week out. Strange.
Last week, King was back on the The Coach JB Show and weighed in on the Baker Mayfield contract standoff. He was adamant that Mayfield is a “solid” starting quarterback who can make a good argument he deserves a fat bag in a contract extension. Mayfield is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2026 season.
King also said the Bucs can argue Mayfield cost them a playoff berth and needs to prove he’s worthy of top dollar.
“I get both sides of this because I’m objective,” King said. “If you’re Baker, you’re talking about $40 million [salary in 2026]; sh*t, Tua just signed for $50 million. Baker’s way more competent than some of those guys making $50 million. So his agent and him got every right to say, ‘We want an extension at that level.’
“If you’re the Bucs, ‘Baker, you singlehandedly cost us the playoffs last year down the stretch by turning the football over.’ Remember all them games the Bucs lost in the last two minutes because Baker, God damn, was turning the football over?
“So they’re like, ‘We got the ultimate trump card, [the franchise tag]. … … That’s what the Bucs are holding over Baker’s head. ‘We don’t want to give you no big-term extension, push come to shove we’ll put the franchise tag on you not one year, but two.”
Yes, the franchise tag is a major factor in the Mayfield contract negotiations. The Bucs have leverage. However, more and more players seem to have middle-finger leverage.
If Mayfield doesn’t get a contract extension this summer and decides he wants out following the 2026 season, why exactly would the Bucs want to keep him against his will — even if they can? Who would that serve?
Joe expects Mayfield and the Bucs to find common ground soon, even if Rondé Barber does not.
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:35 pm
“If you’re the Bucs, ‘Baker, you singlehandedly cost us the playoffs last year down the stretch by turning the football over.’ Remember all them games the Bucs lost in the last two minutes because Baker, God damn, was turning the football over?”
Pretty much sums it up. If the Bucs wanted Baker he would’ve been extended months ago. There will be no large money extensions this off-season. Too much uncertainty with this roster, HC and GM. Vita and Baker will have to wait until the end of the season.
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:36 pm
Whatever.
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:39 pm
GTFO..It! Lol!
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:40 pm
Bees a crybaby!
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:59 pm
Cross my fingers that we can grab Joe Burrow next year and keep him healthy
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:13 pm
4 years, 52-53 per. Get it done!
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:14 pm
Negotiating on both sides can be misleading. If Baker is a top 10 quarterback per top NFL sports casters, the going rate is north of $50 million.
If the Bucs want to keep Baker, they are going to have pay him the going rate. If not someone else will. Advantage goes to Baker and the Bucs know it.
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:23 pm
El Hefe Bucc … ‘Cross my fingers that we can grab Joe Burrow next year and keep him healthy’.
When this season ends, there’ll be 37 QBs with over 4 years experience who are free agents. Yup, 37 … and Baker’s 1 of them. Interestingly though, there’s only a handful who’d be possibilities to lead the Bucs IMO … Mac Jones, Kyler Murray, Tua, and of course Baker himself.
As far as Joe Burrow goes, he’s under contract through 2028 but with a potential out after the 2027 year.
It’s laughable to think that the Bucs have ‘leverage’ in these negotiations. Yes we could franchise tag him, but in that case our salary CAP would literally blow up. We’d get charged the full franchise tag amount (upwards of $50 mil most likely) PLUS we’d be liable for the remainder of Baker’s current (unpaid) CAP hit … tad over $30 mil.
So you’d be looking at us having to pay over $80 mil of our 2027 salary CAP to just 1 player. And at a time when we’d have quite a few other high-value mouths to feed (Vea, Godwin, Diaby, Robinson, Mauch among many others). That’s called ‘shooting yourself in the foot’.
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:24 pm
Ain’t no other team is paying Baker a franchise quarterback contract. And Jason Licht knows it this team is not Superbowl ready on defense and it makes zero sense to give Baker a franchise quarterback type of contract. And all you people that keep saying 5 year deal has lost their minds. Baker will be 32 next year and he’s never been a elite quarterback in his whole career. With the quarterback class coming out next year you don’t over pay for a quartback like Baker who has never put a team on his back in big games . Let’s see he’s 2-9 in prime time games and he was the reason why we missed the playoffs on last minutes drives to either close out games or to win them . And the bucs can not over pay him especially giving him franchise quarterback years.