Baker Mayfield Said He’s Not Thinking About Free Agency
July 31st, 2026
Locked in.
For a guy who is not expecting a contract extension before the end of the season — though Baker Mayfield did say if the Bucs offer what he wants they should call his agent and not him — Mayfield said yesterday that free agency isn’t even on his radar.
Mayfield is in the final year of his contract. He had hoped to get an extension before his self-imposed deadline of this week’s start of training camp, but he considered the offers from the Bucs unacceptable, if not insulting.
Mayfield told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that his sole focus right now is getting the Bucs back to the playoffs and free agency next spring hasn’t crossed his mind.
“The big issue is I want to be present where my feet are at,” Mayfield said. “I am a Buccaneer right now. I am the quarterback for this team.
“How can I lead the best way possible? How can I win as many games as possible? And how can I win a Super Bowl?”
Mayfield cautioned in his press conference prior to speaking to Fowler that he will discuss his contract publicly, maybe, for a few more days and then that’s it. Afterwards, it’s football first, football foremost and football only.
Bucs football. At least for this season.
July 31st, 2026 at 7:15 am
Well of course he’s not, he’s smart enough to know he’ll be franchise tagged next season if they don’t get a deal done this year and that will pay him probably $45-$50 mil I think (I could be wrong on the exact figure).
But if he balls out this year he’ll get another 3-4 year deal.
Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
July 31st, 2026 at 7:27 am
This is ridiculous. The Bucs can use the Franchise Tag on him after this year for 2 years, right? So that means he will be here 3 years worse comes to worse and he is not resigned per say. Why all the drama? He is not going anywhere for at least 3 years. RELAX Bo BUCS!!
July 31st, 2026 at 7:36 am
I think it’s more about the 2years they offered him could be wrong but I think he wants 3 years on top of this year 🤔
July 31st, 2026 at 7:48 am
Bucscoot, yes, it’s the length of the contract. This is most likely his last large contract so he’s probably looking for an additional 4 years with a 5th year option. Also guaranteed money comes into play.
July 31st, 2026 at 8:05 am
baker said it would be all football once camp started….now he wants to talk about his contract for a few more days….
some leader we have in baker…
GO BUCS!!!!
July 31st, 2026 at 8:16 am
Sorry joe, baker wont be here in 2027!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
July 31st, 2026 at 8:22 am
Baker is putting his selfishness and greed on display for the world to see. This is why I said he’s not doing anything to improve his game or stay healthy to WIN more. He’s most certainly thinking about free agency because he didn’t sign the extention. If he wanted to stay with the team, he’d sign. Its obvious he has no faith in the Bucs he just wants to cash in and get as much as possible.
Nowhere to hide this season. No OL or injury excuses. Hes put way more pressure on himself to play like hes never played before and it won’t work out. Hes already distracted and feeling disrespected by making $40 million this season. More money than probably everyone on this site combined, and its not enough for him.
He’s a loser and it will work in the Bucs favor this season.
July 31st, 2026 at 8:35 am
Who cares! Can’t wait for 2027 and a new fresh coach and young fresh players it’s going to be awesome cut all the garbage from this team this final year Go Bucs 2027
July 31st, 2026 at 8:42 am
Given the context about the “Baker might not have been telling the truth” article, we should all be asking ourselves this…
Is it possible that Baker’s price went up just because he got that pissed off/insulted by the first offer, and now he’s being unreasonable on purpose?
We keep hearing about how much he’s willing to bet on himself and how much he wants to stick it to people when he gets pissed off. Is this a version of that?
July 31st, 2026 at 9:14 am
Not a distraction? 3/4 of articles since camp are about contracts.
July 31st, 2026 at 9:17 am
I’ll just be glad when we draft a franchise qb
July 31st, 2026 at 9:48 am
BS. If he is not thinking about FA or a possible trade, he should be. I guarantee the Buc’s FO is thinking about it. No way they pay him an 80mil FT cap hit in’27. Or, if he has a meh season, he’s gone too. If he has a good season, they won’t want to pay him 60 mil. He’s gone, gone, or gone.
July 31st, 2026 at 9:57 am
If Baker becomes a free agent next year that would be disrespectful to the Bucs and our fans.
July 31st, 2026 at 10:01 am
He ain’t winning no Superbowl the guy melts in big moments and can’t read a defense to save his life..Mr tuck and run.. Evans doesn’t leave if he think baker is a Superbowl qb
July 31st, 2026 at 10:10 am
While everyone complains about him getting 50 million, this is his current market value. Market valuation can fluctuate so there is risk on both sides. Let’s not forget he stated and played all the games in his first year here for around 5 million I believe. So the Bucs got an extremely good deal that season.
July 31st, 2026 at 10:30 am
@JOE @JBF
PLEASE READ THIS AND WRITE AN ARTICLE.ABOUT IT.
Unless Baker’s current contract is extended, there is $30M in dead salary cap on the 2027 books as a result of 3 VOID years. I repeat, the only way to not have that hit all at once in 2027 is to sign Baker to an extension and rework the numbers on paper.
Franchise Tag will be $50M, give or take.
If the Bucs tag Baker at $50M, the $30M in VOID years also hits, meaning Baker will count $80M against the cap in 2027. This is what Baker was referring to in his presser about “the Tag isn’t really an option because of the dead money.”
Literally NO ONE in the media is understanding or talking about this.
Baker’s comments about “it’s only going to get worse” is him saying, I wanted $50M+ per year and a long term contract. You didn’t give it to me. After I ball this year, your options are to Franchise Tag me and it will cost $80M, pay me $60M annually with a longterm extension, or I’ll walk.
Without extending Baker, Tampa has $40M in cap space next year (already reflecting Baker’s $30M in dead money). A $50M Tag puts Tampa at negative $10M in Cap Space for 2027. That’s without extending Vita or any other notable FAs: YaYa, Mauch, Chase McLaughlin, Anthony Nelson, AShawn Robinson, AQ Muhammad, to name a few.
Baker holds all the cards and he knows it. He’s pissed and he’s betting on himself. He’s going to prove himself AGAIN. It’s literally his M.O.
One of the Joes keeps saying he’d not extend him and see how it goes. Which means you’re happy with the scenario I painted above.
Not resigning Baker is a bigger story than people realize because of the $80M tag. That’s worth a JBF article. “$80M… The real cost of tagging Baker Mayfield”
Thanks for the consideration.
July 31st, 2026 at 10:50 am
This is the kind of drama that couldve been avoided (same with Vea), and its carrying over into training camp….DEF not a good look! And if it carries over into game 1 against Cinci, Im expecting a down locker room….they all see how these guys, CORNERSTONES….FOUNDATIONS….are being treated, and it WILL bleed over!! Trust me, DONT think it wont!!!
NOT A GOOD LOOK, GLAZERS AND JASON! But if thats what you want, oh well….
July 31st, 2026 at 10:53 am
Baker has “led” the Bucs to a 4 game losing streak in every season he has been here. For all his moxy, leadership, bluster, and other hype words the media uses the guy is mediocre at this NFL level.
You know who has never had a 4 game losing streak as a starter?
Patrick Mahomes
Dak
Hurts
Purdy
Burrow
Josh Allen
Lamar Jackson
CJ Stroud
Heck QB’s like Jordan Love and Herbert haven’t had a 4 game losing streak since their first season as a starter.
July 31st, 2026 at 10:55 am
You’re only worth what you’re paid. You can say someone is worth $100 million a season but if they’re not getting paid that then….? Saying what you’re worth and getting the money is 2 different things. Your value is the current contract you’re signed to and only goes up when you sign the new deal.
Him raising his price is inconsequential because if no team agrees to the price then what? Shane the owners for not spending million that don’t come out your pocket?
July 31st, 2026 at 10:57 am
“Unless Baker’s current contract is extended, there is $30M in dead salary cap on the 2027 books as a result of 3 VOID years. I repeat, the only way to not have that hit all at once in 2027 is to sign Baker to an extension and rework the numbers on paper.”
These are billionaires Blake, pretty sure they’ve eaten plenty losses on the way to building the empire they’re sitting on. An aside, but related, the Glazers and all the owners get like a $400M stipend to start the year from the NFL for their share in all the revenue the league collects.
Eating $30M is a popcorn fart IF the part of the plan is to go get a rookie QB if this season is a wash/Baker doesn’t play well enough to even consider the franchise tag. Short term loss would be the $30 in dead money, long term a younger QB on a capped rookie deal and a 5th year option might be more lucrative to them instead off paying Baker some wild amount of money and waiting for the shoe to drop.
July 31st, 2026 at 11:08 am
@Fire, yeah, alll Bake’s fault he cant defend 3rd and 28, 4th and 14….what else you got genius?
July 31st, 2026 at 11:35 am
I would be with him if he didn’t insist on playing hurt and as a result – sh*t the bed in the last half of the season. Had they finished strong and made the playoffs he could make his case. Instead he needs to prove he can stay healthy and lead his team to winning. Finishing 2-7 with a bunch of picks is not a great position of contract leverage so his agent really ought to put the bong down.
July 31st, 2026 at 11:57 am
^^ heh, he had no choice, no back up QB
July 31st, 2026 at 1:34 pm
@Blake got it 100% right. And Warren Lynch Brooks – you are right $30M is a drop in the bucket to them, but $80M is like 40% of the total salary cap…. so even if they don’t care about the money, that would cripple the rest of the team. And they probably WILL draft a rookie in next draft, but it won’t be one of the ‘top names’, and likely no where near a near-term starter….
And for those who think Mike Evans chose Brock Purdy over Baker… maybe you should consider what he was yelling at the end of last season. It wasn’t ‘damn Baker!’… it was ‘3rd and 28’… so MAYBE Mike left cause he doesn’t trust Bowles to put a defense on the field that can stop anyone… Mike wants to WIN.
July 31st, 2026 at 1:34 pm
“Blake Says:
Unless Baker’s current contract is extended, there is $30M in dead salary cap on the 2027 books as a result of 3 VOID years.”
You are exactly ‘right. I brought this up over a month ago and several experts on here insisted I was wrong.
In addition, Mayfield’s current contract voids on February 20, 2027
The window for teams to exercise the franchise tag doesn’t open until February 21, 2027
Is the franchise tag an option? Sure….Is it a viable option…..Depends on whether the Bucs are willing to let some of their other players that are going to be free agents go for lack of room.
It’s been said that the Bucs “don’t care” about dead money. Ok …..I kinda doubt that based on their experience dealing with the dead money left over when Brady left.
At the end of the day, however, it’s not our money to decide how it’s allocated.
There is no way for the Bucs to avoid the $30.15 million dead money cap hit except by re-signing Mayfield to any extension PRIOR to midnight February 20, 2027
July 31st, 2026 at 3:09 pm
“you are right $30M is a drop in the bucket to them, but $80M is like 40% of the total salary cap…. so even if they don’t care about the money, that would cripple the rest of the team.”
That’s why I made the point about eating the $30M and moving on, it’d be painless in comparison to using the franchise tag on Baker would have to force them into using with his pay which I don’t think is all that likely.
Even in 2024, as gloruious as some of you pretend it was, we had a 4 game losing streak immediately after Mike & Chris went down. What saved us, wasn’t Baker carrying the team. It was still having Rachaad, Bucky, and Cade to an extent to lean on. Wasn’t the game in KC bad to the point no WRs caught a pass the entire first half of it? Injuries may not have been
July 31st, 2026 at 3:10 pm
“And for those who think Mike Evans chose Brock Purdy over Baker… maybe you should consider what he was yelling at the end of last season. It wasn’t ‘damn Baker!’… it was ‘3rd and 28’… so MAYBE Mike left cause he doesn’t trust Bowles to put a defense on the field that can stop anyone… Mike wants to WIN.”
Mike had to record a tackle in the season finale lol