Baker Mayfield The Best Option — Now
June 26th, 2026
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield.
In the words of NFL.com reporter/analyst Eric Edholm, the Baker Mayfield contract squabble is nothing more than “fluff” to give folks something to talk about during the five or six weeks between underwear football season and the July start of training camp.
But also Edholm suggested Mayfield was “posturing” when he aid recently that he and the Bucs were not close on the numbers for an extension.
Joe doesn’t think Mayfield was posturing at all. He was asked a direct question in his first media availability of underwear football season and Mayfield gave a seemingly frank reply.
“Posturing” seems to imply grandstanding, and Joe doesn’t think Mayfield was grandstanding at all. He wants to get paid. Who doesn’t?
I’ve ridden the Mayfield roller coaster, going from a big supporter to someone who wonders just how long his future with the Bucs will be. His play leveled off down the stretch last season, and no one should just write off the offseason loss of Mike Evans, even with some pretty decent receivers left over.
I think Mayfield’s deal eventually will get done because this sort of public posturing is nothing new. The Bucs might quietly share some of my concerns, for all I know, but Baker’s certainly the best option they have now — and likely next season, as well. That’s what makes me think Mayfield will get paid eventually, and the timing shouldn’t significantly change his outcome.
The two Joes are throwing handfuls of Pringles at each other at JoeBucsFan.com World Headquarters about this issue. One wanted Mayfield signed months ago. The other Joe, with the stench of the 2-7 2025 collapse fresh in his nostrils, wants to see how this season plays out before inking Mayfield to a new deal.
But alas, based on the information at hand, both Joes are confident that when the 2027 season begins, Mayfield will be your Bucs starting quarterback. Somehow, some way.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:20 am
gotta agree with the joe that says play it out….
but i dont think its a slam dunk when it comes to ’27…..he chokes again in DEC and baker is holding a clip board for another team!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
June 26th, 2026 at 9:22 am
” But alas, based on the information at hand, both Joes are confident that when the 2027 season begins, Mayfield will be your Bucs starting quarterback. Somehow, some way.”
AKA, the franchise tag. That will get him his 50 mil.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:26 am
Three years, $150M with $100M guaranteed. Good for both sides. Get it done and put it to bed.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:28 am
Mayfield’s “play” did not level off. His production did, but a QB’s production is tied to inefficient offensive systems and support.
From Grizzard to line to rookie WR every aspect of the offense let the QB position down over and over again. How much pressure up the middle is a QB expected to handle on a down for down basis? How many misrun routes to the wrong depth?
It’s not the other way around. Competent ALL22 from the rare few shows this to be true…including Ronde Barber.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:45 am
Bucs (Jason) have no choice but to sign him, or franchise tag him 2027 and draft a qb for 2028. Baker would be unhappy, and it’s a huge gamble if Jason Lite goes down that route.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:47 am
I keep seeing “franchise tag” – which technically IS an option – but its really not…..
Baker’s contract has $30M in dead $/dummy years sitting there at the conclusion of this year. This is $ that the Bucs used for cap space expansion in a previous year.
Bucs can and will include that $30M into Baker’s new deal and pay for it over a few years.
But if they franchise tag Mayfield for roughly $50M in 2027 – then that full $30M also comes due – so in essence – a QB franchise tag in 2027 costs the Bucs $80M – which is ALL due that year. So its really NOT an option…
June 26th, 2026 at 9:58 am
As long as the offensive line stays healthy, and barring injury, Baker will be just fine. I, humbly, request that the entire defense and special teams do the job that they were hired to do.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:09 am
Agree with Pickgrin which is why Bucs should wait and make Mayfield earn the monster contract that he wants.
If Bucs make NFC Championship game or Super Bowl, Bucs would want to pay him and Mayfield would likely want to stay.
If Bucs sign him now for $60 million/year which is probably what he wants, and the Bucs have a disappointing season, then Bucs will be in rebuild mode with an overpaid QB.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:16 am
True, the tag option in ‘27 isn’t really feasible. I think it’s pay him now or pay him a lot more later with the chance he decides to listen to other offers. I get the risk of signing him now. He could suck this year or get badly injured. I don’t really think the former is gonna happen. The latter can happen but you can’t make decisions based on potential injuries. Last year down the stretch you could tell he didn’t trust his protection. His foot work looked more like his college tape. So did his hero ball play. This current OL depth is much better now and no Qb is going to play well with the MASH unit they had in front of him in ‘25. Pay him now. 50m/y 3 years 100 guaranteed ain’t gonna do it either. 53m/y is probably his bottom line and he probably wants 3+ years and 75% of it guaranteed. If the Bucs could get him at 53 we will all look back on it thinking they got a good deal. I know how crazy that sounds.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:19 am
I don’t understand what the big mystery is about the drop off in performance in the last half of the season in 2025. We have a 3 year sample that we can evaluate from 2023-2025. The roller coaster is not Baker Mayfield. He’s just a passenger riding it! Different offensive coordinators in every season and this year will be the fourth. A defense that regressed in each season, culminating with loaf-gate in 2025. A head coach who is widely criticized by this fan base and media. The two best receivers on the team combined to miss the equivalent of two seasons. That means that 33% of the time, one or the other was not on the field at any given point. An offensive line and running game that struggled in 2023, really took off in 2024, then declined in 2025 due to being ravaged by injury. That combined with his own injuries in the second half of 2025 is what caused the drop off in play. The only things he did wrong was trying to do too much and not sitting for a couple of games to allow himself to take a break and heal. To me that is the coaches fault. He has to be able to recognize that sitting the quarterback when he’s too injured to play is in the best interest of the team and the player and he has to have the balls to do it. Baker is not the only quarterback that never wants to come off the field. Sometimes that choice has to be made for the player. Last year the failure was in missing the big picture. When Baker was hurt in the Rams game, that’s when they should have sat him for a couple games. They may have lost another couple games , maybe even 3. Down the stretch may have been different though.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:44 am
Joe, where do you find these idiots and their nothing commentaries?
June 26th, 2026 at 10:58 am
The “posturing” hypothesis isn’t improbable. One little phrase by Baker –“not close,” I believe– has generated all kinds of free publicity for both the quarterback and the team. And, obviously, it’s still gathering steam. An argument for it is that nobody has revealed the details of the Bucs’ offer, much less the clauses that are contentious for Baker. People can’t even ascertain whether it’s the money or the duration that makes their positions not close. Ignorance creates mystery, excitement, and attention; creating ignorance that people hadn’t even suspected is genius. “Posturing” is as good a word as any.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:04 am
Stan and Oscar are both right and à franchise tag is impossible due to dead cap money. We must sign him, and a fair deal is needed. 3 years from now we will be thanking God we did it. The guy is a truly elite talent sitting on an injury riddled roster that has truly been a roller coaster ride. I think the defense is about to turn the corner and the offense when healthy is elite.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:36 am
Bruce Arians, superbowl winning coach who has worked with Peyton Manning, Ben Rothlesberger and other great quarterbacks loves Mayfield. And that’s all that really matters. He has been around and knows talent when he sees it and he thinks Baker has plenty talent as an NFL quarterback. So these so called experts on this site who hate Baker can take a flying leap. What they think they know is nothing compared to what Arians actually knows. When Bruce Arians speaks about quarterback talent, anything these idiots say all falls to the wayside because they actually know very little compared to Arians. And Arians loves Baker as our quarterback. CASE CLOSED, pay the man!!
June 26th, 2026 at 11:39 am
Oscar telling it like it is 100%
June 26th, 2026 at 11:42 am
“This current OL depth is much better now.”
Why do people keep saying this? We brought back Skule- who was awful for MN last year – and added a 5th round rookie. That’s it.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:43 am
Well the Joe that thinks baker shouldn’t be signed based on half a season he knew the oline was decimated with injuries , knew the qb was hurt , knew the receivers were hurt and the rookie starting receiver took a step back and knew the OC couldn’t concoct a running game. I’m in the camp of how many good seasons has Baker had ?. I mean just 2 1/2 greats one here plus starting off taking the Browns to playoffs and being run out of town after an injury (where have the Browns been since) , winning big games for the rams .. I mean his sample size has much more good vs 1/2 of season of bad.. he did t forget to play . The same Joe wants Vita Veta ran out after this year and even with the right players suggests Bowles doesn’t want to rush the passer with the ends.. I call hogwash .. that Joe just focuses on the negative.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:46 am
The guys been pretty good , hard to judge a player on one bad half of a season were all human. The dude plays with heart ,he’s a company man..Sign him for a couple years and let’s get on with the season with nuthn hangn …Go Bucs!
June 26th, 2026 at 12:05 pm
“Baker’s certainly the best option they have now ”
———-
I don’t disagree with that.
And thankfully he’s under contract for this year.
So no need to extend.
June 26th, 2026 at 12:07 pm
Mayfield should not step on the field without a new contract. Either sign him or trade him. This team has proven they can’t protect him
June 26th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
Why I think the OL is has better depth this season despite the fact that they only drafted a guard in the 5th round. I would start with going into the season fully healthy. Last year they knew their best player LT Wirfs wasn’t healthy. I lot of their backup got playing time so I believe that will pay dividends going forward. The best example of this is swing tackle Chukwuma. The Bucs are also going into the season knowing Barton is an option at Tackle moving Bredison to C in a pinch. Skule may not have had a great year in Minnesota in an entirely different system with players he has no chemistry with but we know he plays well here. I doubt he suddenly became a bad player. I think healthy Billy Schrauth was a steal in the fifth round he was a Day 2 value talent-wise who’s been held back only by injuries. I could be just being overly optimistic but this is what I think this OL is better going into this season than last year.
June 26th, 2026 at 12:14 pm
1 playoff win 3years ago is really good lol….
raise your standards!!!!
baker has a lot to prove!!!!!
GO BUCS
June 26th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
Bakerfan. I’m with you I will trade him because he ain’t worth the money or the time.
June 26th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
folks make all the excuses in the world for baker lol…
even when healthy, with a healthy team, baker still turned the ball over!!!!…his 4th quarter turnovers when the game is on the line is troubling….
and it did just happen last year….it happened in the playoffs vs DET and again vs WAS
baker has to prove he can WIN in JANUARY not just OCTOBER
1 playoff win 3 years ago aint worth 50mil per year lol
GO BUCS
June 26th, 2026 at 12:34 pm
Peyton manning was 3- 8 in the playoffs at 32 yrs old ,im not giving up on mayfield yet sorry…
June 26th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
lol…ridiculous to compare one of the greatest QBs of all time to baker mayfield lol….
im embarrassed for you lol
GO BUCS
June 26th, 2026 at 12:51 pm
“Grizzard… let the QB position down”
“the OC couldn’t concoct a running game.”
“The roller coaster is not Baker Mayfield. He’s just a passenger riding it! Different offensive coordinators in every season…”
This is the proverbial chicken or the egg argument. But history tells us, you are on shakey ground as an OC if Baker is your QB.
2018: Todd Haley fired midseason
2019: Todd Monken fired
2021: Alex Van Pelt contract expired, not retained
2022: Ben MacAdoo fired
2022: Liam Coen left to coach college (leaving this audition off of the stat sheet)
2023: Dave Canales left to HC
2024: Liam Coen left to HC
2025: Josh Grizzard fired
You have a 71% chance to lose your job as an NFL OC, if Baker is your QB. Now, you might argue that Baker is a king maker when referencing Coen and Canales, but he did NOT seem to inspire them to think that they got their man so let’s go get a SB ring together. Just saying, the OCs of top tier QBs seem to experience a bit more job security. For instance, Tom Brady only ha 4 OCs over a 23 yr career (Weiss, McDaniel, O’Brien, and Leftwich)
By no means do I want to see Baker walk, but I’d be hard pressed to fork over a long term deal to a QB who just put out tape on probably the worst 9 game stretch of his pretty inconsistent career. So fire up your excuse generators, but Baker is a roll of the dice as a long term solution, and even a bigger gamble for any incoming HC or OC should Bowles get fired. I’d rather sit at the blackjack table than gamble on crap(s)
June 26th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
The same arguments were made for Winston, Americas turnover machine.
Baker is just another version of Jameis. Slightly better due to playoff games.
Mayfield earned a lot of love his first and only playoff win as a Buc versus the Eagles.
But that win is his last in the playoffs since then. Last season we didn’t get one.
I say let him play out the contract.
June 26th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Bucgurl! The way you wine and cry, basically have the same idiotic comments on every article joe writes ,us fans are embarrassed by you! Your mind goes from A to B thats it!
June 26th, 2026 at 1:19 pm
stevie
dont get salty over facts!!!!…you and baker need to grow up
you wouldnt be able to spell CAT if i gave you the C and T
GO BUCS!!!!
June 26th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
Sounds like to me you dont like the facts..Like I said 3-8 readum and weep that should be easy for you ,(the weeping part that is)
June 26th, 2026 at 1:47 pm
$50M for a scheme & personnel dependent QB who’s entire career has been marred by inconsistent, boom or bust play(and results) is kind of wild to consider, but here we are.
Baker is the owner, operator and rider on his own personal career rollercoaster and that by itself played a part of how he ended up in Tampa.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:06 pm
the fact is, as a buc, baker has 1 playoff win 3 years ago!!!!
his best year as a buc was in ’24, where he also led the league in INTs and Fumbles…and lost in the playoffs due to him fumbling in the 4th quarter
FACTS!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
June 26th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
I love having Baker as QB. He is an exciting player to watch, and he is a winner.
But, the Bucs have to be able to afford winners at every position.
The Seahawks just won the Super Bowl with a QB making 4% or the salary cap.
The Bucs won their first Super Bowl when Brad Johnson earned 8% of the salary cap.
The Bucs won their second Super Bowl when Tom Brady, the G.O.A.T., earned 12% of the salary cap, about where Baker is now and what I would suggest paying him.
The 20% of salary cap plus that some QBs have received is nuts. The Bucs should avoid getting sucked into the current QB salary bubble which is more likely to be a team wrecker than a winning formula.
The Saints are coming along quite well with their #40 second round pick Tyler Slough on a rookie contract.
Using the limited money of the salary cap to build and keep a team of winners who can go far with a good QB for good value makes a lot more sense than tying up 20% of the salary cap on a guy who is only human and can miss a season on injured reserve just like anyone else.
Remember, while not his first choice, the Bucs were on Brady’s list because they had built a team of winners while using their cap space wisely. Splurging for the missing element in Brady with 12% of cap space made sense in those special circumstances. And, gambling with salary cap purgatory to try to repeat the next year was reasonable. But, the Bucs are just now getting out from under the cost of that gamble, and there is no reason to get stupid now blowing 20% of cap on one player.
Mac Jones looks like an affordable option next year who should do well on a team built of affordable winners. Draft a rookie or find an affordable veteran, but do not get sucked up into the QB salary race – or the race at any other position.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
BAKER FAN REALITY CHECK …
Cleveland – Traded
Carolina – Cut
LA – Released
Bucs – Signed for $4 million
Baker has been cut from 3 teams.
The Bucs are competing with themselves.
BAKER FAN SHOULD REALLY WANT & WHAT I DON’T GET …
Why any Bucs fan would want a player to sign a big contract.
I’d rather have players (ie TB12) that opt-in for pay cuts so the team can win.
Baker should be offering to take $40M x 3 years so the team can sign more talent.
June 26th, 2026 at 3:17 pm
Steve V Says:
June 26th, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Bucgurl! The way you wine and cry, basically have the same idiotic comments on every article joe writes ,us fans are embarrassed by you! Your mind goes from A to B thats it!
Steve I actually agree with you, 100% He actually used to be pretty cool and a positive guy but for some reason he let the trolls get to him and he is nothing but a baker basher. Copy and paste every article
June 26th, 2026 at 3:46 pm
99
stating facts doesnt stop me from being positive…
the team had injuries on both sides of the ball…Bowles is mediocre and so is baker…bowles needs to have a sense of urgency and baker needs to prove he’s a franchise QB…
i wanted klint kubiac as HC but it is what it is….
with that said, bucs can win with Baker but everything has to be perfect for him to succeed….top 10 defense…top ten rushing attack…zero injuries to starters…bowles coaching like a top 5 HC….
in reality the chances of all those things happening are slim…and i dont believe baker can put the team on his back in DEC or JAN in win….25′ DEC performance was proof…the lost to WAS was proof….the lost in DET was proof….
baker aint worth 50mil based off of 25’….he has to play it out and WIN
GO BUCS!!!!!
June 26th, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Anyone who wants to get rid of Baker should tell us the better QB option. Giving up 2 1st round picks to roll the dice on a rookie?
Potential 2027 QB free Agents. Please pick one.
Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Justin Fields (Kansas City Chiefs)
Davis Mills (Houston Texans)
Marcus Mariota (Washington Commanders)
Jacoby Brissett (Arizona Cardinals)
Joe Flacco (Cincinnati Bengals)
Gardner Minshew (Arizona Cardinals)
Mac Jones (San Francisco 49ers)
June 26th, 2026 at 4:13 pm
I would take a flyer on Mac Jones after working a couple seasons under Shananhan. He looked better than Purdy last year when he was in and he would be cheap enough you could build around him. If Mayfield gets too expensive that you can’t afford a decent supporting cast the Bucs are screwed because Mayfield can’t put a team on his back and win like a Josh Allen. Mayfield is good if the team around him is good.
June 26th, 2026 at 4:28 pm
sly pirate, Baker’s first request to the Browns for a trade was denied after the second he was traded to Carolina! In December, Baker requested his release from Carolina and was granted! The Rams signed him and at the end of the season could have stayed as a backup but chose to take a gamble with Tampa Bay! Except for his short stay with the Rams, Baker has never had a quality head coach or any form of discipline or structure!
June 26th, 2026 at 4:29 pm
Oneillbuccs … ‘Bakerfan. I’m with you I will trade him because he ain’t worth the money or the time.’
I’m admittedly in the ‘Let him play out his current contract, THEN resign him after 2026 IF the results this year show that he’s worth a huge contract’ camp (Baker’s lack of consistency still concerns me), BUT … the old saying ‘Be careful what you wish for’ still applies to all of us as we throw out these various scenarios.
Bucs don’t have any proven QBs currently waiting in the wings (Browning, Daniels & Bazelak are our current choices). Not unlike the exact same situation that the Vikings were in after 2023 AND the Falcons were in last year. Didn’t work out well for either of them.
Vikings finished 7-10 in 2023 with expensive Kirk Cousins as their QB, let him go & brought in Sam Darnold in Mar 2024 (for 1 yr, $10 mil) AND they drafted JJ McCarthy that year. Darnold led them to a 14-3 season record, but lost the Wildcard game to the Rams & was not re-signed. McCarthy started in 2025, went 6-4 (multiple injuries), and the Vikings finished 9-8 & missed the playoffs.
Falcons also finished 7-10 in 2023 then signed Kirk Cousins to be their QB (4 yrs at $180 mil) in Mar 2024 AND they also drafted Michael Penix that year. Cousins led them to a 8-9 record in 2024 (by going 7-7) but lost his starting job in 2025 to Penix (who went 3-6 while Cousins went 5-3). Cousins was designated a post-June 1st release in Mar 2026 (after restructuring his contract in Jan), and was then signed by the Raiders in Apr 2026 to a 2-yr contract (for $12 mil total). Meanwhile Atlanta signed Tua (1 yr for $1.2 mil) to compete with Penix for the starting job.
Playing musical QBs hasn’t exactly worked out well for Vikings or Falcons. As I said, ‘Be careful what you wish for’.
June 26th, 2026 at 4:31 pm
All this talk about Baker is just that. We are going to find out he has no leverage to sit out. He is playing for us this year and will either prove the naysayers wrong or won’t. We are going to find out this year.