Buccaneers may have big reason to not sign Baker Mayfield to extension this summer

Barring what would be a surprising development, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield will not put pen to paper on a contract extension before the July 4 holiday weekend comes and goes. 

Thus, Mayfield is on track to remain in the final year of his existing deal at least through the start of the first full week of July. During a Wednesday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero suggested that those running the Buccaneers may have an interesting reason to keep Mayfield in a contract year. 

Do the Buccaneers want "angry" Baker Mayfield playing for them this year?

"The Bucs may kind of like, 'Hey, it’s salty, angry Baker coming in, let him go kick everybody’s butt and worry about [the financial consequences] after the season,'" Pelissero explained, per the JoeBucsFan website. "They’ve done that with other veterans in the past, but the quarterback position is a little bit different." 

Pelissero was referencing the fact that it's no secret Mayfield has been motivated to prove doubters wrong throughout his college and pro careers. Some think he already has an extra chip on his shoulder because longtime Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans left the club to join the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, presumably because Evans believes the 49ers are the closer of the two teams to winning a Super Bowl. 

Have the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield made any progress on an extension? 

"If you look at the franchise quarterback contracts right now, he’s at the bottom of those veteran guys in terms of where they’re getting paid," Pelissero added about Mayfield. 

Pelissero also hinted that there hasn't "been any further movement" regarding the two sides coming to terms on an agreement. 

For what it's worth, neither Mayfield nor people within the Buccaneers seem at all concerned about this situation amid the NFL's ongoing summer break. As much as Mayfield may not want contract talks with the club to continue beyond the start of training-camp practices in late July, it's assumed that he truly has only a soft deadline in mind and that he would ultimately accept a deal to his liking in August or early September.