Buccaneers legend shares concerning Baker Mayfield contract prediction

Questions about the long-term future of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield are hovering over the team amid the NFL's summer break. 

Mayfield remains in the final year of his contract, and he made it known multiple times during springtime workouts that he and the club weren't all that close to coming to terms on an extension. During a recent edition of WFLA's "The Ronde Barber Show," the Buccaneers legend was asked if Mayfield will ink a deal by the start of training camp or Tampa Bay's regular-season opener. 

"Hard to believe" Buccaneers will marry themselves to Baker Mayfield on a long-term basis?

“I would find it hard to believe that they do," Barber said, per the JoeBucsFan website. 

Fair or not, the perception exists that Buccaneers ownership may not want to match Mayfield's asking price for an extension. At least one report indicated that his camp may be seeking to have a salary of at least $50M per year attached to a multiyear deal. It's unknown how much guaranteed money Mayfield's representatives have asked for during negotiations. 

Mayfield said that his "deadline" for contract talks with the Buccaneers is "as soon as training camp starts" in late July. Tampa Bay players are due to report for camp on July 28.

Ronde Barber gives Buccaneers some Baker Mayfield advice

Barber wants the Buccaneers to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Mayfield is atop the depth chart beyond 2026.

"Find a way to pay him," Barber said about how the Buccaneers should handle Mayfield's future. "Make him happy, whatever that number is. It’s not 60, 65 [million per year], somewhere in the $50M range. It’s a decent amount of [salary] bump. But I just hope it doesn’t distract this team going into this season, because I think this is a big year for a lot of people in this organization."

Barber may have been referencing how some think that Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is on the hot seat after the team suffered a brutal collapse en route to missing the playoffs last season. Perhaps uncertainty about Bowles' future is one reason those running the Buccaneers may want to keep their options open while knowing that they could always retain Mayfield's rights via the franchise tag if he plays well this coming fall.