The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be there for the lang haul.
As the Buccaneers start going through their offseason workouts in preparation for the 2026 season, the dominant storyline surrounding the team is none other than contract negotiations between Mayfield and Tampa Bay. Mayfield’s long-term future with the Buccaneers is up in the air as he enters the final year of his three-year deal with the franchise.
There has been no progress made on contract negotiations and Mayfield has gone on record as saying that he won’t be negotiating once training camp starts in July.
While it remains to be seen what happens with that situation, USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has a potential alternative option for the Buccaneers in former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Sorsby is one of the most controversial names in football right now due to his gambling addiction and his efforts to play again in college football.
The former Indiana and Cincinnati quarterback recently declared for the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft. Sorsby is coming off a breakthrough season at Cincinnati in which he threw for 27 touchdowns (36 total touchdowns) and was considered one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft.
“Ahead of the final year of his existing deal, Baker Mayfield has set a training-camp deadline for reaching a contract extension with the Buccaneers,” said Middlehurst-Schwartz. “If no deal is reached, Tampa Bay could add an insurance policy of sorts in Sorsby. Doing so might lead to a significant blowback for the NFC South front-runners, who are trying to bounce back after seeing their four-year reign over the division come to an end last season. But a developmental option would be worthwhile, and the backup outlook hardly inspires much confidence if Mayfield misses any time. General manager Jason Licht has placed a heightened emphasis on character, however, and he might not be comfortable bringing aboard a player with as much baggage as Sorsby – especially with a truncated window in which to do due diligence.”
Why Buccaneers Could Draft Brendan Sorsby in NFL Supplemental Draft
Sorsby features prototypical quarterback size at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and has mobility that he put on display last season, rushing for nine touchdowns in addition to 580 rushing yards.
If the Buccaneers use a third-round pick on Sorsby in the supplemental draft, that would mean they give up their third-round draft pick next year. That’s a pretty good value considering Sorsby was considered by many to be a potential first-round pick in 2027.
However, Tampa Bay will face stiff competition for Sorsby considering there will be a number of NFL teams in the market for a potential starting-caliber quarterback. Middlehurst-Schwartz mentions nine different teams, including franchises such as the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals who are starving for a true franchise starting quarterback.
Buccaneers Lacking Starting-Caliber Quarterbacks Outside of Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers’ current backups are Jake Browning, Connor Bazelak and Jalon Daniels, with Browning the only one who has started games at the NFL level with 10 total combined starts. In other words, none of these guys after Mayfield are somebody you would start on a full-time basis.
If the Buccaneers are able to land an “insurance policy” in Sorsby, it could give the Buccaneers some leverage in negotiations with Mayfield and prepare them for a possible era without the Pro Bowl quarterback.
Buccaneers Could Add ‘Insurance Policy’ For Baker Mayfield With 36-TD QB