Baker Mayfield has already earned two Pro Bowl selections since the 2023 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his career has been revived like never before. Therefore, despite the 2025 season not being his best, he has done a lot of things right, so he should be able to secure a contract that reflects his accomplishments. But at the same time, Baker is not afraid of playing in 2027 under the franchise tag.

“Time is of the essence because the Bucs Veterans reported on Tuesday Mayfield is on record saying he wants a new deal by training camp,” Jeremy Fowler said. “So the Bucs need to make some progress here. They want to try to get something done. They are optimistic. But they’re gonna have their limits. They probably won’t give him everything he wants. However, the market is: 11 quarterbacks make at least $50 million a year.

 “Mayfield feels he’s outplayed some of those players. He’s got proof of concept in Tampa after three years. It’s gonna take some financial concessions for Tampa to get this done. Also, Mayfield is not scared of the franchise tag. If he were to play this out and they were to tag him, it would be around $47-$48 million in 2027. That could be a route. This is a guy who’s bet on himself before; he’s not afraid to do it now.”

Of course, we shouldn’t forget that it was quite tough for Mayfield on the physical side in 2025, too. With the sprained MCL and PCL, the biceps contusion, and a shoulder injury, Mayfield has been pretty much injured throughout the season. Despite that, he managed to accumulate 3,693 yards, score 26 touchdowns, and throw 11 interceptions, completing 63.2 percent of his passes. It may look bad when taking into account the 8-9 record, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to make it to the playoffs, but context matters here. 

Now he’s set to head into 2026 without Mike Evans by his side, adding another layer to the story. As for timing, Tampa Bay has a pattern of finalizing extensions once camp is already underway rather than beforehand, according to Adam Schefter.

“But I guess what I would say to that is Tampa’s history has been to do deals during camp, not at the start of camp,” Schefter said. “I think it’s going to be easy for the Buccaneers and Baker to say at that point in time we’ve started talking, we’re gonna continue talking, and we’re going to continue to try to get this done. I think that they figure out a way to get it done because both sides want to make it happen. It shouldn’t be a difficult deal to do.”

With rookies reporting on July 27 and veterans following on July 28, the clock is already ticking. Maybe Tampa just wants to see him fully healthy again before committing long term. Either way, this one feels far from over.