Baker Mayfield Speaks About His Desire to Stay in Tampa
· Yahoo Sports
Baker Mayfield doesn't want to go anywhere.
But to stay, the quarterback and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to find "middle ground" in contract negotiations that both sides can be comfortable with.
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Speaking at his football camp in Oklahoma on Saturday, Mayfield expressed his love for the city of Tampa and his desire to remain a Buc after his current contract expires after the 2026 season.
In a video posted to the SoonerScoop YouTube channel, Mayfield told a group of reporters exactly how he feels.
“I would love to be there,” Mayfield said. “I think both sides want to get it done. Now it’s a matter of finding that middle ground and what makes both sides happy. . . .
“We fell in love with Tampa, and it’s a great place to raise kids and be around. So, regardless of what happens, I think we’ll spend our offseasons there. Obviously, it’s a little brutally hot, but it’s good for training, but it’s — yeah, I want to be there long term. They treated me right, and it’s the first place I’ve gotten to that feels like Oklahoma when it comes down to football is football, how can they put you in the best position to have success on the field, and how can they give their resources to help you out? And so, it’s a great place.”
What Would "Middle Ground" Look Like?Obviously, without knowing exactly what the Bucs are offering and exactly what Mayfield is asking for, it's impossible to know what "middle ground" would look like.
However, it's a safe bet that the $50 million/year benchmark would be the low end of what Mayfield might accept. There are currently 12 NFL quarterbacks who make over that figure, per OverTheCap, and Mayfield can certainly feel like he deserves to be in a similar tier as guys like Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, and Trevor Lawrence.
The fact that Tua Tagovailoa makes around $53 million/year should go a long way toward making Mayfield's worth seem even higher.
Right now, Mayfield is entering the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract that was signed in 2024. The former top-overall pick from 2018 is in line for a significant raise on his next deal. If Tampa wants to use the franchise tag on Mayfield to keep him for 2027, that figure would be around $48 million.
Final ThoughtsIt's obvious that Mayfield and his family love the city of Tampa and that he wants to sign here long-term. Baker and his wife, Emily, just welcomed their second child, son Maverick, in April. The couple also has a two-year-old daughter.
The Mayfields see Tampa as a wonderful place to raise a family, so much so that Baker spoke of his desire to still live in Tampa during the offseason, if he ends up playing elsewhere.
While that speaks of his affection for the city, it could also be interpreted as a minor threat that he will not sign a long-term extension here if he feels the Bucs are low-balling him.
It seems like both the team and Mayfield are hopeful that a new contract can be worked out in the near future.
All that needs to happen is finding that middle ground.
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