The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield appear destined to continue their partnership beyond 2026. The question isn’t whether a new deal gets done. It’s whether the Buccaneers are better off completing it now or waiting until after the season.
From Tampa Bay’s perspective, getting an extension done before Week 1 may be the smarter business decision. The biggest reason is that Baker Mayfield’s price tag could explode. For much of the first half of last season, Mayfield was playing at an MVP-caliber level. He had the Buccaneers among the NFC’s contenders while producing some of the most efficient football of his career. Had he maintained that pace throughout the season, he likely would have found himself firmly in the MVP conversation.
While injuries and inconsistency contributed to a disappointing second half, that early-season stretch showed exactly what Mayfield is capable of when healthy and operating in a functional offense that is not missing a majority of its offensive linemen.
If he returns to that level in 2026, the cost of a new contract could increase dramatically. Quarterback contracts continue to rise every offseason, and teams rarely get discounts after franchise quarterbacks put together career years. If Mayfield delivers a Pro Bowl campaign and leads Tampa Bay back to the playoffs, his negotiating leverage would be significantly stronger than it is today. Waiting could ultimately cost the Buccaneers tens of millions of dollars over the life of a new contract.
The franchise tag isn’t just a simple fallback option, as many assume.
If Mayfield reaches free agency following the season, Tampa Bay would already be carrying roughly $30 million in dead cap charges tied to his current contract structure. Adding a quarterback franchise tag on top of that would create an enormous cap hit and significantly restrict the team’s flexibility elsewhere on the roster. Simply put, the Buccaneers would likely have a very difficult time carrying both figures while still fielding a contending roster, especially with names such as Vita Vea and Yaya Diaby both needing new contracts as well.
That reality gives Tampa even more incentive to avoid negotiations reaching that point. The longer Tampa Bay waits, the fewer options they may have available. And if Mayfield recaptures the form that had him looking like an MVP candidate last fall, Tampa Bay may find itself wishing it had finalized an extension before the season ever began.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Making the case for the Bucs to extend Baker Mayfield now
Reporting by Ashlie Abrahams, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ashlie Abrahams, Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
