Eric Mangini Thinks Jason Licht Is Playing His Cards Right
July 29th, 2026
Motivated and dangerous.
Joe doesn’t know if this is an example of the Patriot Way where former colleagues make sure to gas up a past comrade while working in the media (like Michael Lombardi used to do with anyone from the Parcells/Belicheat tree).
Former Belicheat assistant and Browns and Jets head coach Eric Mangini seems to think his former Patriots co-worker, Bucs general manager Jason Licht, is playing his cards with Baker Mayfield beautifully.
Mayfield wants an extension. Don’t we all? Licht, per some reports, wasn’t coming near Mayfield’s wants and needs. And now it appears Mayfield might play out his contract with the Bucs that ends after the 2026 season.
Mangini, speaking “First Things First,” seen weekday mornings on FS1, doesn’t believe that’s a negative for Licht and the Bucs.
‘I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Mangini said on “First Things First,” seen weekday mornings on FS1. “I think it could actually end up being a positive [for the Bucs].
“What have we seen from Baker Mayfield, not just throughout his pro career, but throughout his college career? When he’s got a chip on his shoulder, when he’s a little bit angry about the situation around him, he tends to play really well.
“To sort of have a highly motivated guy playing quarterback, that that’s not a terrible situation. And you can pay as you go here. You play out this year, you can franchise [Mayfield] next year.”
Mangini has a point. Except the time he served in Carolina, whenever Mayfield has been doubted, he turns around and shoves it in everyone’s face. Did it in Cleveland. Did it in Los Angeles. And he’s done that in Tampa.
It appears it’s time to do that again.
July 29th, 2026 at 3:59 am
Joe, just thinking ahead, if Baker does ball out and have a great season so that the Bucs (with or without Bowles) want him back, what would be the cap impacts if Baker was franchise tagged in 2027? I get that the Bucs would have to put the whole $50 million under the 2027 cap but what would be the scenario if they did ink a deal, how does that make 2027 better cap wise? If the Bucs used the franchise tag, would they automatically be put in cap pergatory and have to sacrifice talent to keep Baker under the franchise tag?
July 29th, 2026 at 4:07 am
The only thing that’s clear is that Team Glazer isn’t convinced this team can win the Super Bowl. We saw what they could pull off when they believe that: 2021 Run It Back. They’re insuring against this season going the way last season went, and why wouldn’t they? Sorry Baker and Vea, y’all will have to wait.
July 29th, 2026 at 5:39 am
Let’s see Baker play a complete season. This kid has had every damn excuse in the book on why he isn’t great. I have ZERO fear that this guy will leave our org and make us pay. His best chance is having a Darnold moment, which I will believe will be one and done, and most likely he goes the way of Geno. Some crap team with cap to spend, overpaying him and he will have zero pressure to bring a super bowl, and Baker will be Baker. He’ll put the stats up, shock a good football team every now and then, but when he’s the favored candidate, he simply won’t show up and will have 1 bad throw too many.
Sadly, we’re in a time that the QB position has regressed from the college ranks, and without superior coaching to shape the next generation of NFL QBs, you really don’t know what you’re going to get. A guy like Shanahan has been making lemonade for years because his system simply works. Can it get worse in Tampa? Yep, Spencer Rattler quality worse, but I’m not sure that’s a reason to let these mediocre QBs hold a team hostage for a ridiculous contract.
July 29th, 2026 at 5:53 am
😆😆😆
Baker is holding all the cards!
He is being disrespected by the owners and Jason.
Run Baker Run !
July 29th, 2026 at 6:35 am
Joe is not a capologist but pretty sure it hasn’t been set for 2027. Barring a global pandemic, the cap *always* goes up.
July 29th, 2026 at 6:51 am
Every now and then it creeps back into my mind that JL cut his teeth with the Patriots.
And we may be looking for a coach next year.
Oh my……..
July 29th, 2026 at 7:02 am
If we franchise him for ’27 the $30 million that was pushed out will have to be coughed up instantly, so…$80 million. If they TRULY don’t believe Baker to be the future that’s a small price to pay. We draft a QB in the 1st next year that will be the tell
July 29th, 2026 at 7:17 am
i agree with jason licht, make them play! c’mon it’s almost august
July 29th, 2026 at 8:02 am
Zoocomics
Spot on!
July 29th, 2026 at 8:11 am
They’re not using the franchise tag. It will be $50M along with the dead money, which I think is pushing $30M. An $80M cap hit? Not happening.
Something stinks at One Buc Place and it begins with the Glazers and the suddenly tightened purse strings.
If they had any intention of keeping Mayfield beyond 2026, they would have signed him.
He’s gone at season’s end. And the Bucs will do what they do best – fall into a perpetual rebuild.
July 29th, 2026 at 8:13 am
Let’s be honest – this team is mediocre right now. Baker is part of the reason we are better than the bottom of the league, and Vea fits in too. We don’t need to sink the ship and pay those guys too much and hamstring the salary cap like we did for the Brady championship. Time to suck for a year or two, retool, and get back to glory. If you can get real draft capital for Vea… do it. Better than getting nothing, and he will warrant a king’s ransom.
July 29th, 2026 at 8:17 am
Zoocomics
great post!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
July 29th, 2026 at 8:37 am
Zoocomics
I disagree with quite a bit of that, but won’t focus on the disagreement. Instead I’ll zero in on where I agree: “the QB position has regressed from the college ranks, and without superior coaching to shape the next generation of NFL QBs, you really don’t know what you’re going to get.”
The problem isn’t limited to QBs — they’re just the most visible position on the field. You can blame NIL deals and the transfer portal for the lack of coaching, and not the coaches themselves. In many cases, QB’s are jumping from school to school chasing money and not getting consistent coaching. Inconsistent coaching leads to inconsistent results and unaddressed problem areas that NFL coaches will be on the hook to fix because they’ll be the first coaches to have more than a single year working with the player.
July 29th, 2026 at 8:46 am
As per usual, we as fans, don’t have all the facts and information that would allow us to conclude that Licht is playing his cards beautifully. Unless Mangini does, then he’s just blowing smoke out his derrière. He’s a known Mayfield doubter and unbeliever, albeit a mild mannered one. Licht may have made a reasonable offer that would be good for Baker and the Bucs. Maybe the money wasn’t quite right in Baker’s mind or maybe the length of the contract or guarantees weren’t sufficient. We may never know!
July 29th, 2026 at 9:02 am
I love how we have gotten to a place I the NFL where the deal a player signs doesn’t really mean much. A 3 yr deal has turned into a 2 year deal. A 6 yr deal into a 5 yr deal. These players and agents agree to sign a 3 year deal, then play out your contract!
Both Vita and Baker have a year left on their respective contracts that they signed and received large signing bonuses for signing.
Someone said “Baker is holding all the cards”. So untrue. Baker is going to have to sign the deal JL offered or play this season on his current deal. Then, even if he balls out, the Bucs can thrn offer him a new deal and if Baker still refuses, they can franchise him to keep him away from FA.
The only cards Baker is holding is a busted flush draw and JL knows it.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:02 am
I disagree totally.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Baker’s career average is closer to his 2025 season than it is to his 2024 season. He has got to prove he can be better than his career average.
Bucs are playing it smart
July 29th, 2026 at 9:07 am
Mangini was a lousy head coach–twice.
Hard to believe that anyone takes seriously what this dud says about anything. Even harder to believe that he has a TV platform.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:07 am
Another example why we never really have a franchise qb. We are too stupid an organization. Instead of getting behind your qb and show him you want him and
you believe in him , let’s play head games with him and see how that works out . This is a disaster and nothing good is going to happen. Licht is on thin ass ice and the fan base is going to show him and quickly . You are now tied to Bowles and when he goes you go Mr. Licht…
July 29th, 2026 at 9:12 am
As for the doubts about how Baker performs when injured, maybe if he just sat out a game or some games, the lingering thoughts and perception would have been focused on the magical first half of the season that he had in 2025 while wondering what kind of season it could have been had he remained healthy for the whole season. Likewise in 2021, had he sat out a good portion of that season, the perception would have been that he was off to a great start that year as an encore to the very successful season he and the Browns had in 2020 when they beat the Steelers in the playoffs. There would be no film to point to that would fuel the perception of inconsistency and doubt. The talk would center more around his ability to stay healthy. So there is nothing for him to prove in terms of his ability while on the field. Burrow , Prescott, Jackson and Herbert have all missed time and it hasn’t changed anything as to how they are perceived. If they had tried to play when they were too injured, they probably would’ve put out some bad film as well.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:18 am
Yeah, and the first time that he slides instead of taking on some defender, everybody’s gonna howl about how he’s just protecting himself to get a new contract.
He’s in a no NGUYEN situation, and he was put there by Licht.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:20 am
Jesus. God. Can’t Siri understand when I say “no win”?
July 29th, 2026 at 9:22 am
People need to stop touting the franchise tag as some magic weapon that Licht is keeping in his back pocket. It is nearly an $80M cap hit in 2027. The Bucs aren’t going to tag Mayfield and run the risk of him playing on that deal. This is his last season in Tampa. For the folks wanting to paint Licht as the smartest man in the room, I can’t wait to read the comments when the Bucs have someone like Tommy Devito under center in 2027.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:27 am
@ Zoo,When Qb’s ” put up stats” as you say they’re doing their job! That tells me that the team is faltering some other place,and yes the Bucs can beat every “Team” Your just delusional! its a freeking team sport! Healthy /Luck is more part of the sport then you want to believe. The Darnolds of the NFL world their whole team was clicking.As far as making excuses Mayfield has delivered since hes been in Tampa weather you like it or not,yes hes made mistakes like everyone else every team has been threw a 3rd and 28 a 4th and forever..Stop blaming 1 person use your brain
July 29th, 2026 at 9:28 am
No worries ModHairKen, Nguyen is pronounced win lol.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:30 am
“When he’s got a chip on his shoulder, when he’s a little bit angry about the situation around him, he tends to play really well.”
This is such a load of BS, lol it’s more a talking point in discussing Mayfield than it is something that happens in reality. Urban legend more than it is factual and it’s stupid talking point.
“Did it in Cleveland. Did it in Los Angeles. And he’s done that in Tampa.”
Replaced while still on the roster in Cleveland.
What did he do in LA that was so special?
“Burrow , Prescott, Jackson and Herbert have all missed time and it hasn’t changed anything as to how they are perceived.”
Ya’ll look for the most useless points of comparison to mention names Baker shouldn’t be mentioned with. Burrow, Prescott, Jackson & Herbert all got paid too, because their play justified big deals.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:35 am
If the Bucs were smart, they would sign Baker to an extension and also sign a competent backup such as Jimmy G. A stipulation in the contract is a clause that says when the coach or doctors deem him unfit for duty they make the call as to whether he plays or not when injured . It’s real simple.
July 29th, 2026 at 9:58 am
That’s the whole point WBL , that the perception of Baker in the minds of the analytically disinclined would be different! Nothing was inferred that Baker was on the level of those other qb’s mentioned. What was stated was simply that the perception of Baker would be different had he chose not to play while injured.You are a charter member of the analytically disinclined as evidenced by your talking points. I do agree with one of your takes. This chip on the shoulder nonsense is way overplayed.
July 29th, 2026 at 10:10 am
Going 2-7 down the stretch and barely beating two moribund teams in that sequence does not inspire confidence.
Especially that Dolphins game. Should have been a lay up victory.
In my opinion that game should have cost Bowles his job.
Mayfield will need to carry this team the entire year as he did before the bye in 2025.
Then, and only then, does he deserve $50+ million a year.
July 29th, 2026 at 10:15 am
Over his 8 year career Baker averages
24.5 TD’s
12.5 INT’s
63% Completion Percentage
To put that in perspective rookie QB’s like Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Cj Stroud, and Mac Jones have put up similiar numbers in their rookie year. Outside of 2025 Baker has not played like a top 10 QB consistently.
Let’s be real Baker is inconsistent and is more likely to be the 25 Baker than the 24 Baker. He’s gotta show something to earn the contract.
Contracts handed out to Tua, Kyler Murray and others is giving these teams pause before they hand out big deals and it is smart
July 29th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Waren Brooks
How many Super Bowls Wins do the above 4 have among them, I will help you out, the same as Mayfield. ZERO
And after this season it will be the same. NONE of those 4 will win a Super Bowl in 2027 and they are getting paid like Super Bowl winners. Your thinking is STUPID. Dak has crapped the bed sooo many times in big games that he looks retarded while doing it, his eyes go haywire. Jackson does not have the brain power to win in post season, but does have good athletic ability, slong with no touch on his passing. Burrow does not have a defense around him to carry them too far and Herbert could not get the job done last year with a good defense.
So tap the breaks on your HATE for the QB for the Bucs, you are a Bucs fan, right? Just like a lot of people have TDS, a lot of people on this site have BDS
July 29th, 2026 at 11:06 am
Baker fan . You ain’t a bucs fan you are a Baker fan so who cares how you feel about the bucs? Lol 😆 😆
July 29th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
@ Oscar Says: “It’s real simple.”
No. You are absolutely 💯 DELUSIONAL. On a different PLANET.
July 29th, 2026 at 1:45 pm
ONEILBUC… will give you credit on this one for no spelling errors, but you did have to use the word “ain’t” to get a sentence.
Will grade you as Needs Improvement instead of Flunking you.
Keep trying you can use AI to draft your posts so you won’t look so stupid.
July 29th, 2026 at 3:07 pm
@Bakerfan
All that typing for me to not care about any of what you wrote, lol
Also, I’m not taking queues on how to be a Bucs fan from somebody who chose “Bakerfan” as a handle, that’s like the “student driver” bumper sticker of internet screen names, gtfoh with that Warren Jeffs nonsense.
“your a bucs fan right, you should cheer for everybody”
Are you kidding me?