Baker Mayfield says he'd love to stay in Tampa Bay, but QB and Bucs 'not anywhere close' to reaching long-term deal
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a chance on Baker Mayfield after Tom Brady retired from the NFL for good. Mayfield made the Bucs look smart, continuing the franchise's streak of NFC South titles by leading the team to first-place finishes in the division in both 2023 and 2024.
After the first of those two seasons, Mayfield upgraded from a one-year, "prove-it" deal to a three-year extension reportedly worth $100 million.
Following a disappointing 2025 campaign, in which Tampa Bay missed the playoffs after dealing with an injury bug that bit Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick is now entering the final year of that deal. He told reporters on Friday at OTAs that he'd love to stick around for the long haul; however, in his eyes, his representation and the Buccaneers have a long way to go in their contract talks.
"First and foremost, regardless, we've built roots here in Tampa," Mayfield said," via Fox Sports' Greg Auman. "We love the community, we love being here. They've embraced us, and we enjoy being here and obviously are going to raise kids here. But, yeah, contract stuff, it's happening, it's starting — the talks and whatnot — but not anywhere close to what we were thinking."
Mayfield continued: "Would love to be here long term. And as of right now, that's not exactly the case. But I'm under contract for 2026, and the guys in that locker room, the staff know that I'm still going to be me. I'm still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl, and, to me, that's the priority. Everything else will take care of itself."
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Mayfield said the franchise knows his deadline. When training camp rolls around, "it's all ball," he said, noting that he doesn't want to discuss terms during the preseason and the season.
"It's not up to me when that gets done by," Mayfield said, via Auman. "Hopefully before that — if not, we're still going to have a good year."
Despite injuries to key playmakers, Mayfield engineered a 5-1 start last year, effectively announcing himself as an MVP candidate. But the Buccaneers capsized in the back half of the season. Coming off back-to-back losses to start November, Mayfield suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder during a third straight defeat.
He juggled more injuries down the road, and Tampa Bay missed the postseason, losing a division tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers despite beating them in Week 18.
With or without a new contract, Mayfield will try to bounce back in 2026 and return to the high-level quarterback play he previously showcased in Tampa Bay, most notably in 2023 and 2024 when he earned Pro Bowl nods each season.
