The Pressure Is On Jason Licht
September 8th, 2026
The draft and Baker Mayfield.
Strong work by friend of JoeBucsFan.com and the host of The Free Stretch podcast,” Bobby Fenton. It appears if the Bucs are going to win a Super Bowl with Baker Mayfield, Licht is going to have to shine.
Mayfield today re-upped with the Bucs for three years at $165 million. Just on face value, that averages out to $55 million a year.
There are no specifics at this time. Joe doesn’t know for sure if the contract is cap-weighted to be more expensive as the years go by — which would be smart because the salary cap goes up every year unless there is a global pandemic.
So doing quick research and math, Fenton found that at least since 2018, no Super Bowl-winning quarterback has eaten up a higher percentage of a team’s salary cap than what Mayfield will.
Per Fenton, Mayfield will chew up (at least this season) some 18.3% percent of the Bucs’ salary cap. Per Fenton, no quarterback since at least 2018 has had a bigger percentage of his team’s contract when comparing it to Super Bowl-winning signal-callers.
So the pressure is on Licht to keep the team well-stocked for the remainder of Mayfield’s contract.
(You can hear Bobby Fenton’s “Free Stretch” podcast weekly throughout the NFL season.)
Avg of $55 million/year, so 18.3% of the current overall salary cap.
For reference, the % of cap taken up by recent SB winning QBs:
2025: Darnold 5.2%
2024: Hurts 5.3
2023: Mahomes 16.5
2022: Mahomes 17.2
2021: Stafford 11.0
2020: Brady 12.6
2019: Mahomes 2.4
2018: Brady 12.4 https://t.co/bgNKHeO47d— Bobby Fenton (@bobbygameday) September 8, 2026
September 8th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
I thought Mahomes just signed a 60 million per year extension? Do the Chiefs get more cap money than we do?
September 8th, 2026 at 5:48 pm
I imagine the 55 doesn’t hit til next year, when the cap raises again, so not as big of a cap % hit as we may fear.
September 8th, 2026 at 5:48 pm
OIC- you’re talking about when they won it. Well, obviously the QB market share is growing slightly faster than the cap is.
September 8th, 2026 at 5:50 pm
This is not about Mahomes, this is about Mayfield. Am sure you can find out this information by bitching on a Chiefs blog.
Besides, Mahomes already has rings.
No quarterback that has taken up as much cap space as Mayfield will has won a Super Bowl going back to 2018. Guess you can read a crystal ball and see Mahomes winning a Super Bowl under his new contract.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:00 pm
This is the “chip” on Mayfield’s shoulder…..”He now takes up XX% of the salary cap and has to prove his worth!!”
September 8th, 2026 at 6:01 pm
Mismanagement. This could have been done early and orderly.
Licht is done.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:02 pm
Mahomes makes 56 million this year and 58 million next year so….
September 8th, 2026 at 6:02 pm
Mayfield and SB in the same paragraph. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡🤡
September 8th, 2026 at 6:06 pm
Sam Dornold made 37.9 million last year.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:06 pm
Paying your quarterback 18% of the cap is fine, provided Jason Licht can continue drafting starters in the fourth round like he’s using cheat codes.
If the Bucs win a Super Bowl with Baker eating this much cap space, Licht shouldn’t get Executive of the Year. He should get investigated for witchcraft.
Baker wanted financial security. He got it. Jason Licht now has financial insecurity for the entire organization.
And I’m really good with that!
September 8th, 2026 at 6:09 pm
55 seems a little high but i guess in 2 years it will probably look more realistic as salaries go up. 53 should have been attainable
September 8th, 2026 at 6:10 pm
I am fully prepared for the Bucs to crap the bed while paying Baker is amount of money.
Hard to build a team with a single player eating up so much cap room.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:11 pm
We can restructure Baker 4 or 5 times and extend him on out to 2035….whether he plays or not……ala Tom Brady
September 8th, 2026 at 6:12 pm
Hopefully, this is structured with escalating salary deferred money so that the Bucs can retain Mauch and Diaby.
If so, they should try to do extend Mauch and Diaby now using the same method.
The Bucs can probably afford Mauch, but they may be priced out on Diaby if he puts up big numbers this year and gets the credit for the numbers that really reflect team improvements as much and individual ability.
That would give the Bucs a strong position for 2026, 2027 and 2028 with Godwin in 2027 and Winfield, McMillan and Vea the biggest questions left to answer.
The Bucs Should be the class of the NFC South for the next 3 years, which is worth more than what Joe gives it credit for being worth, with the potential to be NFC contenders if they continue to draft well.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Mahomes made 59.35 million in 2023. Pretty sure that’s way more than 16.5% that year.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:15 pm
If it is something like 45 this year, 55 next year, and 65 the third year, it gives the Bucs more flexibility than if it is just a straight 55 per year.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:16 pm
Go prove your worth baker
GO BUCS
September 8th, 2026 at 6:17 pm
$55M per year was the “magic number”. It ties him with Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence and Matthew Stafford for third-highest paid.
Make of that what you will.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:22 pm
Sam Darnold and SB in the same paragraph hahahahaha……… wait a sec…. jack wagon smh
September 8th, 2026 at 6:25 pm
Thanks to Bobby for the numbers. I’d like to see all QBs with the amount and year of signing.
I’m not a big Baker fan nor a hater. As a Bucs fan I’m happy this is done. If Baker stays healthy I think he’ll have a good year.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:28 pm
Robertg Says:
September 8th, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Mahomes made 59.35 million in 2023. Pretty sure that’s way more than 16.5% that year.
His total cap hit wound up being $37M after he restructured his 2020 deal. KC adjusted the numbers to create cap space by converting funds from later years and changed his incentives to escalators. The number in the post is his actual salary
September 8th, 2026 at 6:31 pm
This is not correct!!
Mayfield is only guaranteed $40 MILLION for this season……
It’s a moot point to make that comparison with THIS YEARS salary cap…
September 8th, 2026 at 6:35 pm
So we’re NOT expected to win the Super Bowl this year? You don’t say!
At this point I’m really not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Both sides of the argument have valid points.
The question for me isn’t resigning Baker. It’s the length of time. We ARE now saddled with a Large price tag that DOES take up almost 20% of our cap for next year as well as this if I’m reading the extension correctly. And “saddled” IS the point. Can’t afford anybody else if the largest portion BY FAR is going to “one”, ONE player.. That’s a tuff / TOUGH road to hoe, especially with such a weak secondary that we’re now saddled with..
In my book, we NEED TO draft the next best qb thing since sliced bread ASAP as our second qb for next year. The year beyond? Well, let that qb contest ACTUALLY commence. And may the best man win. With this extension, that may not come to pass as expected. But then….. what does? Right.
In the end… it’s the length of the contract. Then again, we haven’t heard the terms. So there’s that…
September 8th, 2026 at 6:36 pm
Stop taking shots from linebackers and be healthy at the end of the year!
You got what you wanted now play the part..
September 8th, 2026 at 6:37 pm
gobobucsfan … ‘This is the “chip” on Mayfield’s shoulder…..”He now takes up XX% of the salary cap and has to prove his worth!!”
I seriously doubt that any NFL QB plays with a ‘chip’ on his shoulder to prove that he’s worth how much he’s making. The money is a done deal now.
Interesting question though: If Mayfield had been ‘guaranteed’ $55 mil last year, and had been guaranteed the same for 2026 & 2027, REGARDLESS of how many games he played, would he have played all those games in his beaten-up condition? Did the possibility of future earnings drive him, or was it something else? Once you GUARANTEE earnings, I for one think that you change a person’s motivation.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:37 pm
Mahomes is gonna be getting $13 million a year in 2040
September 8th, 2026 at 6:44 pm
Obvious One … Might very well be wrong, but my gut tells me that the Glazers believe that we have a bonafide Super Bowl window with THIS team for the next 2-3 years. And that Baker gives us the best chance to bring that to fruition. That’s the ONLY thing I can think of that makes any sense in terms of dedicating 20% of our salary CAP to ONE player.
I’m afraid that what will come to pass is that Licht will do the same thing in 2027 & 2028 that he did in 2020 & 2021 when Brady was here. We MORTGAGED THE FUTURE and spent 2022-2024 in CAP he11.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:50 pm
The deals Hurts and Mahomes have in place kick their cap hits into the 2030’s as they presently stand. By then the new media deals will cut those fat standing financial liabilities down to size so that they don’t hurt future rosters.
I like that the Bucs keep tidier books but I’m not averse to Licht using the league minimum plus a roster bonus method the Iggles have been using when it comes to how their FAs count against the cap over the length of Mayfield’s extension.
The Bucs are in no way handicapped financially. The only way the Iggles hit where the Saints were is if that media money doesn’t come but Lurie knows better than anyone it will. The Saints overpaid Derek Carr using that method in the depths of cap hell so there is no need to blow gaskets over this contract.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:50 pm
bucsfan951 Says:
Hard to build a team with a single player eating up so much cap room.
————————————————————————————-
That makes it more challenging, but it’s also hard to build a team without a good QB.
Good luck to any GM here in the comments section who believes they can acquire a QB via free agency as good or better than Baker for less than $55,000.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:56 pm
ModHairKen Says:
September 8th, 2026 at 6:01 pm
Ha.
You obviously have no idea what’s going on. The Glazers hold the purse strings. On a contract of this size, they’re deciding if and when.
September 8th, 2026 at 6:57 pm
It makes sense that they did it now while paying second string QB minimum for rest of the term on Bakers deal
September 8th, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Think this might impact whether they re-sign Cody Mauch and Yaya Diaby next offseason.
September 8th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
Current starting QB cap hits in 2030: Stafford (he’ll be long gone) $11.8 million, Hurts (will be gone or on a new contract) $30.1 million, Mahomes (signed through 2034) $74.64 million.
Fenton has never wowed me with the depth of his takes. I won’t call what he produces analysis.
September 8th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
As long as Jason Licht draft the right players
Guys like like Yaya, Mauch will be history
They are replaceable, they are not irreplaceable
September 8th, 2026 at 7:15 pm
So Glad they got this Done! I had serious doubts that they could sign Baker.
Well Done Glazers and Jason Licht!
In Today’s NFL, you won’t win, if you don’t have a good QB.
Now- we will have a great QB for years to come!
September 8th, 2026 at 7:16 pm
Four more seasons with Baker – I hope they know what they’re doing –
(Hint) : they don’t
September 8th, 2026 at 7:16 pm
Yaya and Cody are not top level players at their positions
They have zero leverage, not a leg to stand on
When they improve their game, then they can make demands
Right now, they are average football players at their positions
September 8th, 2026 at 7:21 pm
Joe,
Baker is $40M of $306M —OR— $51M ($40M + $11M in remaining 2026 cap space); equating to
– $40M/$305M 13%
– $51M/$306M 16.7%
In either case, not 18%; nor the highest in the list.
Bobby Fenton should do better. So should Joe.
September 8th, 2026 at 7:23 pm
All that matters is how many years are guaranteed!
September 8th, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Who cares? They got the players signed they need signed and over the next couple years the cap is supposed to go up anywhere between 5 to 10% each year. They are fine. At the end of next season, this will be an above average quarterback salary, nothing more.
September 8th, 2026 at 7:31 pm
Just a CLUELESS bunch.
September 8th, 2026 at 8:00 pm
3rd highest paid player in the NFL for a guy coming off a terrible year, and has had only had one truly good year in his entire career. Amazing work by his agent.
Not a fan of this deal, makes no sense to pay top tier money for a guy who is already under contract, and cost less if you tagged him. But it’s over, so now just hope for the best and pray this isn’t the single worst deal in team history.