Perhaps the biggest storyline for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers headed into the 2026 season involves QB Baker Mayfield and his ongoing contract talks.
Mayfield is entering the final season of his deal and has been adamant about wanting to stay in Tampa Bay, but he’s also noted he wants to sign for what he believes he thinks he’s worth (obviously), and there might be some gray area between what the Buccaneers’ front office thinks his value is and what Baker thinks his value is. Mayfield is currently playing on a 3-year, $100 million contract.
It’s not uncommon for front offices and players to be far apart once initial contract talks begin, and recently, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht shared an update on his thoughts about the situation.
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Jason Licht Optimistic About Baker’s Future Status in Tampa Bay
These contract negotiations are a situation where both parties may want to get a deal done before the regular season opens up, but sometimes contract talks trickle into the start of the season before they are made official.
Either way, during the Buccaneers preseason finale with the Jacksonville Jaguars, GM Jason Licht made a radio appearance, and Bucs reporter Greg Auman relayed this sentiment (via X.com):
“Bucs GM Jason Licht, asked on @WFLA broadcast about how optimistic he is about Baker Mayfield staying in Tampa: “Very optimistic.”
This is a very promising update, and definitely reveals that the two sides are likely coming closer to an agreement.
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Is Baker Mayfield Worth a New Contract?
The 2025 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a true tale of two halves.
For the first 8 games, the Buccaneers looked like a strong NFC contender, and even Baker Mayfield looked like one of the best QBs in the sport.
However, the wheels fell off, and a lot of the blame was handed to Mayfield for a handful of poor performances and questionable decisions with the football.
While there were larger looming issues with the Buccaneers (mostly a faulty defense), the epic collapse in the NFC South resulted in the team missing the playoffs altogether, which drew some doubt about Mayfield’s ability to be an elite QB in this league, thus resulting in his contract evaluations taking a step back.
The Buccaneers clearly still think highly of Mayfield, but it would make sense for Tampa Bay to want Mayfield to prove his ability once again before committing to him for several years.
In 2025, Mayfield completed 63.2% of his passes for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, finishing with a 90.6 passer rating.
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht Gives ‘Optimistic’ Baker Mayfield Contract Update