Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield signed a three-year, $165M extension right before the start of the offseason. Reports were that Mayfield wanted a third year on his extension, and when the Bucs would only offer two years, his side stopped talking.
When Tampa Bay came back with a third year, the two sides came together and made the deal work. What is interesting to note is that while it was Mayfield pushing for the third year on his extension, the Bucs could be the ones who benefit more.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports notes that the third year is not guaranteed for Mayfield. So, it gives them a team option in 2029.
“It’s not guaranteed; that really helps the team more than it helps him,” said Auman. “What he’s done is he capped his value in 2029 in a way that he wouldn’t have done if he just took two years and $105M.”
“He felt like they should give him three years minimum; he wanted four. Quite frankly, he came down to three, and they offered two, and that
Auman is saying that if Mayfield plays well in 2028, the Bucs will simply opt into the final year of his deal, and he will not have a chance to make more. At the same time, if he struggles, the team can opt out, and they would have paid just about as much as the two-year deal that Mayfield was disrespected by.
Mayfield was disrespected by two years and $105M, but signed for $110M in guaranteed money and a non-guaranteed third season. It is easy to see why the Bucs feel like winners.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Feel Good With Baker Mayfield Negotiations
Beyond getting the extension on a timeline they like, they also got the deal in the manner they like. Mayfield told the media that he was not focused on talking about his contract anymore. However, Rick Stroud made it clear that it was a message to the team that it would not be a distraction. If the deal he liked was presented, he would still take it.
The Bucs’ stance has always been that they like to negotiate closer to the season. So, they were bending for Mayfield and his demand to finish a deal before camp started. The Bucs have a history of finalizing deals between training camp and the regular season.
Mayfield wanted to be treated differently than all of the other Bucs deals, but ended up signing a deal just like the others.
Bucs Get In Before QB Market Explodes
The other important win from the Buccaneers’ perspective is that they were able to get the deal done before the quarterback market exploded. Lamar Jackson is about to sign his next extension.
More than that, all of Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix are going to get new deals next offseason. The Bucs would have to compete with all of that. So, the Mayfield extension looks hefty now, but it could end up looking like a win for the team in a couple of seasons.
At the end of the day, Mayfield got what he wanted. However, the Bucs do not feel like they gave in, either.
Bucs Get Major Advantage in $165M Mayfield Deal