The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield are in a contract standoff. The two-time Pro Bowler has vented his frustration this offseason, admitting it’s “disappointing” to be called a “franchise quarterback” while still waiting on a deal.

Mayfield is entering the final year of his three-year, $100 million deal with no resolution in sight. While general manager Jason Licht and the front office have repeatedly expressed their desire to lock up the QB long-term, negotiations have hit a standstill. Even with talks officially on pause, Licht remains “very optimistic” about Mayfield’s future in Tampa Bay.

“I’m very optimistic about it,” Licht said during the WFLA broadcast of the Bucs’ third preseason game, per ESPN. “He wants to play. He wants to prove to us that he is the franchise quarterback that we said that he was. So, we’ll just have to see how it plays out. I’ll never close the door on anything in the short term, but right now, he’s focused on football.”

The contract talks started gaining momentum this offseason. Licht addressed it initially, saying Mayfield will eventually get an offer because he was “at the forefront of our mind at all times,” but there was no fixed timeline. So months passed without any common ground.

Mayfield publicly spoke about it in June, providing a strict timeline from his side.

“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline: As soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing any contract stuff. It’s all ball,” Mayfield said. “It’s not up to me when that gets done by. So hopefully before that. If not — still going to have a good year.”

Mayfield made sure his teammates knew that he would be playing with the same competitive mindset of leading the team to a Super Bowl, and he would not let any of this affect his performance during the season. So when the self-imposed deadline ended, the 31-year-old quarterback halted all talks to focus on having a “really good year,” he said.

Reportedly, the Bucs offered a two-year deal slightly above $100 million to Mayfield, and that was the most “disappointing part,” Mayfield said, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The veteran quarterback wants to be put among the top 10 or in the $50-plus-million-per-year club. Mayfield told Fowler that the team was “pretty far” from it, even though he never intended to be one of those quarterbacks to reset the market.

Mayfield has played three years with the Bucs. At first, he signed a one-year, $4 million deal in 2023 and then was extended for three years in 2024.

Even though the veteran quarterback felt “disrespected,” he made it clear that he was “fortunate” that the Bucs gave him a chance, but due to the team’s dead money, the franchise tag could not be in play.

However, Licht responded that the tag is very much one of the options on the table. If the Bucs decide to franchise tag Mayfield, he is projected to earn $50 million and would hit the books with a total of $80 million.