Baker Mayfield Admits Feeling “Disrespected” with Contract Offers He Received From the Bucs

Baker Mayfield's three year $100 million deal will end after the 2026 NFL season.

Baker Mayfield Admits Feeling “Disrespected” with Contract Offers He Received From the Bucs

Baker Mayfield (Image via IMAGO)

Even though there are fewer than sixty days left until the 2026 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t given quarterback Baker Mayfield a new contract. The Pro Bowler is disappointed.

Speaking from the Bucs’ training camp at the AdventHealth Training Center, Mayfield stated that he wanted the deal to be done before the start of spring training so that he could fully focus on the practice. Mayfield hinted that the Bucs did present him with offers, but the numbers weren’t close to what he had envisioned.

I wanted a deal done, and set the deadline, and told them it was going to be all ball after that. And I did mean that… And I don’t know if they thought I was just going to take some of the offers that they gave… [I know] what I’ve brought to this franchise leadership-wise and even play-wise. It’s been some of the best years of my career. And I think it’s only going to trend upwards. Just feeling comfortable in feeling that.

Baker Mayfield said

The 31-year-old is entering the final year of his $100 million extension. The Bucs won the NFC South in the first season of the contract. However, they finished second the following year and missed the playoffs.

Mayfield completed 343 passes for 3693 yards, threw 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. It was a massive falloff from the 2024 season when he finished as the league’s second most prolific touchdown maker with 41.

There was a reason behind Mayfield’s underwhelming year, as former Bucs star Lavonte David pointed out earlier in the year. According to David, Mayfield suffered several nasty injuries, including his throwing shoulder and biceps, in addition to a knee injury.

Regardless, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles wasn’t thrilled by his starting quarterback’s performance. Then again, he is still a big believer in Mayfield, whom he considers a mature professional.

We have a very professional and mature group with a lot of leadership there, starting with Baker [Mayfield]. So, he makes sure that’s separate. He makes sure the team knows that’s separate…. We’re not going to make this training camp about what he signed or what he didn’t sign or it being his contract year. We’re just going to play ball.

Todd Bowles said (H/T SB Nation)

Despite that, Mayfield bluntly called the stalling of his contract disrespectful.

[It’s] disappointing [to not have signed an extension]… to feel disrespected a little bit. And that’s really the disappointing part, to feel undervalued after thinking you’ve earned it.

Mayfield said

Per Spotrac, Mayfield is slated to earn $10 million in base salary and an additional one million in incentives. He has a cap hit of $39.9 million and a dead cap charge of $59.1 million.

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Who is Baker Mayfield’s number one receiver target heading into the new season?

Mayfield has had the luxury of throwing to distinguished players like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. since joining the Bucs in 2023. However, the Bucs lost Evans to the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the year.

Baker Mayfield Admits Feeling "Disrespected" With Contract Offers He Received From the Bucs
Baker Mayfield (Image via IMAGO)

This leaves Chris Godwin Jr. as the senior receiver in the Bucs’ locker room. Godwin is an exceptional receiver, but he has missed 19 games in the last two years due to various injuries.

Godwin is slated to start as Mayfield’s number one target in the offense. They also have highly rated youngsters Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, Jalen McMillan, and rookie Ted Hurst on the roster.

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