NFL insider shares huge prediction for Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield contract standoff

It recently seemed as if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield were not all that close to coming to terms on a contract extension. 

Mayfield remains in the final year of the three-year deal he signed in March 2024, but it sounds like Buccaneers fans shouldn't yet panic about whether or not the club will lock the signal-caller down via a multiyear agreement this summer. 

Buccaneers "are prepared" to do this amid Baker Mayfield contract standoff

"The Buccaneers are prepared to dive in on negotiations this week, with the first day of practice set for a week from Wednesday," NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared about the Mayfield situation. "I think they’ll get something done before Week 1." 

Mayfield previously said he doesn't want contract talks to go beyond the start of training camp on July 28. However, it's widely assumed that isn't a hard deadline and that his camp will continue negotiating with the Buccaneers through August if it appears that the two sides can eventually agree to terms for an extension.

How much may it cost the Buccaneers to sign Baker Mayfield to an extension? 

The Buccaneers could retain Mayfield's rights for 2027 via the franchise tag if he doesn't sign an extension and the team decides early next year that it won't let him hit the open market. The cost of that tag could help the two sides reach an agreement before the upcoming regular season gets underway. 

"Mayfield is due to make $40M this year, the final year of the three-year, $100M deal he and the Bucs agreed to," Breer added. "So he doesn’t have to overextend himself to get a contract. The franchise tag for quarterbacks projects to just over $50M for 2027, meaning two tags would be just north of $110M total. That sets the [annual percentage yield] at $55M per year, which is right around where Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love are. So something in the range of $165M over another three years makes sense, or a little more than that to account for inflation over the aforementioned deals."

It's unknown how much guaranteed money Mayfield has asked for this summer and how much guaranteed cash the Buccaneers are willing to attach to an extension. While some within the organization may have concerns about Mayfield's ability to stay healthy for an entire season, the fact of the matter is that his extension could become more expensive for the Buccaneers if they don't get him to ink a deal soon and he then plays well in the 2026 season.