Jason Licht Admits Frustration And Disappointment
August 6th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht and a Team Glazer member.
The champagne remains on ice at One Buc Palace.
Joe suspects all the Buccaneers big shots were prepared to toast a new contract extension for Baker Mayfield weeks ago.
Securing a franchise quarterback is a major accomplishment for any team. Or perhaps you’d prefer Bryce Young, Tyler Shough or the two-quarterback mess in Atlanta?
As Sage of Tampa Bay Sports Ira Kaufman has detailed, the Bucs have never — yes, never — rolled with the same full-time starting quarterback for six consecutive seasons. The team wants to that to happen. It’s good for more than just what happens on the field.
The Bucs tried to lock that down by offering Mayfield a fat extension through what would be his sixth Bucs season, the 2028 campaign, but Mayfield declined and ranted about it publicly for several minutes last week.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht was asked about Mayfield speaking out today during a post-practice news conference. He acknowledged the Bucs were frustrated and disappointed right along with Mayfield.
Licht called Mayfield “a very fiery competitor who’s not afraid to speak his mind” when he has a strong feeling.
“I’m sure he’s disappointed, frustrated. We were, too,” Licht said of the Mayfield and the team. “But like I said, we’re in a good place. He’s out to have the best year. He is focused on having the best year of his career.”
Joe has no doubt the Bucs and Mayfield are in a good place, but the goal is to be in a great place. That’s what is ideal for the franchise.
This “good” place can turn tense in a hurry if the Bucs are struggling. Until last year, the Bucs were great at pulling themselves out of a hole. That might become harder if the starting quarterback is grumbling when he goes home at night and is pressing on the field because $100 million is on the line.
Mayfield, nobody would dispute, is human.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:20 pm
He had another $100 million offered but he turned it down, he wants $200 million for 4 years, or more, go earn it cause he definitely didn’t last year
August 6th, 2026 at 12:25 pm
Welcome to the club Jason!
You must be in denial since the end of the 2024 season
August 6th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
“The Bucs tried to lock that down by offering Mayfield a fat extension”
Can we please suspend the characterization of the extension until and unless someone who actually knows about what the actual offer was shares that? And what does “fat’ mean? FAT money or FAT lie?
If the offer was 2 years at $50M/year guaranteed (which it was not because no one in the know has ever said so, including the Bucs) or 2 years at $50M/year with no guarantees, which is as good as nothing, are as far apart as any two offers could be.
I get it, it’s down time for anything real to say, and I took the bait. Bad on me!
August 6th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
In other news… Has anyone SEEN the Niners fricken ‘injury report’ ALREADY, this preseason!? WOW. Leaving them without 20-PLAYERS at Practice. Including, YOU GUESSED IT. Mr. Mike. Evans. with a QUAD. But, this is a great reminder as an example for what happens when you allow yourself to GET OLD, and hold onto your ‘aging players’ for too long. This is a “YOUNG MAN’S” League.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
Steve Smith, former Panthers receiver, suggested that with all the young talent at receiver the Bucs have, Mayfield needs to show he can be a decisive, quick decision QB like he did pre-Bye last year.
Mayfield has a history of being inconsistent when he is the Glamour Boy all over TV commercials Franchise Guy and he plays great when his back is up against the wall, so I like this season for his current contract situation.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:34 pm
There are exactly 4 ROH GM’s in NFL history and letting your best player on offense and your best player on defense go elsewhere when you really need them is NOT the stuff ROH GM’s are made of.
Mark my words that if our Bucs flounder this year there will be a walk the plank for Jason and Todd. The Glazers do not like letting millions go by the boards like last season.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Licht and the owners did nothing wrong. They made a good and fair offer to him based on his abilities and accomplishments. Based on what they offered I guarantee you none of the glazers are losing sleep over this. They know they have to protect the asset. And giving mayfield too many guaranteed years does the opposite of that.
Theres actually no better spot to be in. If he comes to his senses and signs a deal that gets him thru ‘28, great. If not, we’ll see how the year plays out. Oh and if our coaching staff can identify a rock star in the draft this season while it plays out it’s an even better position to be in.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
*scouting staff
August 6th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Guzzie
and Bowels did?
Bucs should be THRILLED to have a Baker Mayfield caliber quarterback on the team!
THRILLED!
Pay the MAN market price 52-54 million dollars for 3 years and then address the real problems !
August 6th, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Man used a press conference as couch time lol
August 6th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
@ Guzzie55 – He didn’t in 2023, either. He received a fricken GIFT, by getting the 3-year “prove-it” type deal, that the Bucs could’ve walked away from after only 1-year, if needed be… After 2-years, basically scot-free. And HE would not have gotten THAT, had it not been for having such a ‘ridiculously’ WEAK Schedule down the final stretch of that season… AND, had Winfield Junior not morphed into Ed Freaking REED, and SAVED BOTH his and Todd’s JOBS. Remember… There was a very good REASON for WHY that over 90% of the Frickin’ Fanbase wanted to SEE what the hell TRASK could do. It definitely wasn’t because BAKER was playing well, that’s for sure. HE WAS AWFUL. Couldn’t move the ball, couldn’t pick-up 1st-Downs, could not sustain drives, and couldn’t score. 2024 with COEN has been the OUTLIER.
August 6th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Both sides frustrated but the Glazers control the purse strings. Ultimately the Glazers need to address Mayfield being paid as a top 10 quarterback or not.
If they franchise him he’s making $55M. Getting Mayfield done takes presidence over Vita who’s likely signing his last 3 year contract with the Bucs or another 🤔 team.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
Allen Lofton – It’s actually projected to be about $47-$50-MILLION for next season’s “Franchise Tag” on QB’s.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Obvious Says: “They made a good and fair offer to him based on his abilities and accomplishments.”
Once again, how do you know it was fair? The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that the money was about $50M per year. NO legitimate understanding of what the guarantees might have been and NO legitimate understanding of any of the other terms.
Would you consider the offer “fair” if it was for 2 years, $50M/year with zero guarantees? Basically the equivalent of nothing.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:37 pm
“Would you consider the offer “fair” if it was for 2 years, $50M/year with zero guarantees?”
If it was an extension, the guaranteed money has been pocketed. Baker has already made $30M this year as a bonus. Idk why nobody is bringing that up, because if you restructure last year which led to that bonus being paid out to the being offered a 2 year extensions it’s kind of easy to see why the deal might’ve been offered the way it was.
Problem is, like you said we don’t know the specifics on guarantees or incentives regarding his offer, but I’m certain if it were an extension and not offered as a “new” deal then that would include that $30M that was cleared at the end of this past March.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:45 pm
@ Warren Brooks Lynch – as I have heard it explained, it was an extension and not a new contract.
Let’s look at this logically. If there were not any, or very little, guarantees on the two additional years, what exactly is the benefit to Baker to sign? He can be tagged next year for about the same money they were offering, with all of it immediately being guaranteed. Then if they want to tag him a second time, he will make more combined than signing the extension and again, the second tag becomes fully guaranteed when he signs it.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:47 pm
@ Critmark,
100% correct. Whole lot of assumptions being spewed, embellished, and characterized as fact based on “reports” from “sources”. Baker assumed to be the liar. I know I wouldn’t trust JL’s word for anything. Still waiting for Braswell to amaze me.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:57 pm
Badbucs Says: “Still waiting for Braswell to amaze me.”
From what I have been reading, you may have to watch Braswell ‘amaze’ with another team! He seems to be on the bubble to make the team. But like you said, lots of assumptions being spewed, embellished, and characterized as fact based on “reports” from “sources”.
It’s the nature of the beast and not limited to the QB position.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:22 pm
“Let’s look at this logically. If there were not any, or very little, guarantees on the two additional years, what exactly is the benefit to Baker to sign?”
Sir, if he were to sign what has speculated to be an extension and not a brand new deal(the latter would make NO SENSE for the Bucs to do for cap purposes) then the alleged 2 yr/$100M extension can be stacked onto his current deal which he’s pocketed $30M/75% in 2026. Gives the team a wider window to spread out whatever new money (guaranteed or not) out over more time thus lessening the annual hit with void years.
It sets the team up to reverse the proration and makes it so they can spread out the cap hit of the combined deals over MORE time. To your point of the guaranteed money on a “NEW” deal after the one he’s on right now expires means the he’d get that upfront, but he won’t get the base salary bump until the extension years take effect.
That’s why it’s important to figure out whether this is was presented as a brand new deal, which you can logically figure out just by the cues on things we do know
The deal was offered before the start of the final year of his contract, which would mean the franchise were expecting it to be signed BEFORE his current deal expires Feb 2027. It’s not a longer deal that would require the current deal which Mayfield has recieved ALL of his guranteed money for 2026 to be scraped, so logically one could deduce just off those 2 aspects working in all of this that it is an EXTENSION.
So if one of the things that’s a no-go for Mayfields’ camp is guaranteed money and not just time offered, than it’d be fair to think the extension has no guaranteed money kicking in this year because the franchise was able to group that bonus into the new equation.
It’s possible, then we’d have to get into the basics of cap/contract manipulation realtive to the player AND the franchise paying him. It’s alot of logic to juggle.
The tag is a possibility, but to talk about that in August when his performance from September to January can make that more/less of an option is the one thing anybody talking about the FT is totally omitting. It’s like watching the opening credits, just to jump to the 3rd act.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:30 pm
@Critmark,
Been saying that for a bit now. Why take 2 years with less guaranteed money than getting tagged twice for 100% guaranteed and becoming a free agent?
Some people may not like it, but Baker has the leverage here. Totally opposite of VV
August 6th, 2026 at 2:54 pm
“Some people may not like it, but Baker has the leverage here. Totally opposite of VV”
You have to EARN the right to be tagged, that’s not leverage he’s just got his financial fate in his hand and its’ clear he wants that money in his hands right now.
Otherwise, there’d be nothing to be disappointed about and that’s the case right now. You’ve pocketed $30M of the last year of the deal which is effectively valued at about $40M between the bonus and base salary.
With a completely new deal w/more guaranteed money makes it so that he’s given MORE money on top of the $40M THIS YEAR, which is probably where a little of the difference come into play between our front office and Baker.
Say he took the extension, if that’s what it was it’d be a value of 3 yrs/$140M with at the very least $30M guaranteed, because he’s on tap to make that this year and that hit can’t be spread over the 2 extended year, BUT it can count toward the VALUE of the new deal. Now hard to deduce how much guaranteed money would be on the extension side, but if you’re out front office and are already $30M in this season, then why would you be in a rush to guarantee MORE money this year if you have no problem waiting it out.
Which would shake out to $46M a year regardless to how much is guaranteed the APY is what it is and obviously lower than what Baker wants thus the far apart talk between he and the deal makers.
Franchise Tag is a break glass in case of emergency type of thing, a last resort not a guarantee because Baker can’t tag himself and it’s not like our franchise tag will be in play for JUST Mayfield. So there’s really no leverage for him at all, Bucs hold the pen and the checkbook.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
@ Warren Brooks Lynch – I understand what you are saying and agree there is great benefit to the Bucs. But I still don’t see why Baker would do a two year deal with no guarantees. Any money pushed to futures years as of right now is just cap manipulation. Baker has received all his money.
If he signs a two year deal with no guarantees, the Bucs could drop him any time they want. If he takes the tag, he will be guaranteed that years money. Even if the dollars are identical, the guarantee of the full year on the tag seems the better option. If he does no perform well, they Bucs are not going to tag him, so he is no worse off.
Am I missing something?