Baker Mayfield offers update on contract talks with Buccaneers after alarming comments

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield raised eyebrows throughout the NFL community when he said earlier in June that he and the team are "not anywhere close" to agreeing to a contract extension. 

Mayfield entered the start of Tampa Bay's mandatory minicamp on Tuesday set to play on the final year of the three-year deal he signed in March 2024. While speaking with reporters, he offered an update on his situation that could disappoint Buccaneers fans. 

Has nothing changed about Baker Mayfield's situation? 

"Pretty much the same," Mayfield said, as shared by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "But for me, like I told you guys, it’s not gonna affect how I approach this." 

Back on June 5, Mayfield said that the start of training-camp practices in late July is his "deadline" for contract talks. However, it has since been reported that he may have to wait until preseason games get underway in August before he receives an offer to his liking. 

While Mayfield understandably hasn't publicly revealed how much money he wants attached to his next deal, it's believed he may not accept a salary worth less than $50M per season. That said, the Buccaneers could always threaten to retain his rights for 2027 via the franchise tag. 

Baker Mayfield is taking the contract situation "one day at a time"

"Things will happen when they should," Mayfield continued during his comments. "But for now, I’m worried about getting better each day, finishing minicamp, and this offseason program the right way, and going into training camp. So, just handle it one day at a time."

Some within the Buccaneers are reportedly concerned that Mayfield may "continue to neglect" his health as it pertains to his playing style. While he made 51 regular-season starts for Tampa Bay over the past three campaigns, he also has dealt with numerous worrisome injury issues during his Buccaneers tenure. Most recently, he suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in Week 12 last season that affected his play as the Bucs went from 6-2 to 8-9 and missed the playoffs. 

"Some think the Buccaneers believe that, at the end of the day, they’ll offer more to keep Mayfield than another team would offer to sign him in free agency," Florio added. "The more immediate question is whether Mayfield will take the best offer the team makes before the start of training camp, if Mayfield intends (as he has said) to halt talks once camp opens."