Head Coach Todd Bowles made his position clear; Baker Mayfield is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback for the long term, Yankee Scores reports.
After an OTA practice, Bowles stated there is “absolutely no question” he wants Mayfield as his quarterback for years to come. These comments followed Mayfield’s remark last week that he and the Bucs are “not anywhere close” to a new deal as they approach 2026, the last year of his three-year, $100 million contract.
Baker’s All Business
Bowles dismissed any worry that the contract issues are bothering his quarterback. “Baker’s all business. He’s all about business,” Bowles said. “The contract stuff takes care of itself. That’s the business side that you don’t see, that everyone has to deal with. I’m sure he’ll handle it, but it doesn’t affect how he plays.”
Mayfield signed with Tampa Bay on a one-year “prove it” deal worth up to $8.5 million in 2023. He led the Bucs to back-to-back NFC South titles in 2023 and 2024 right after Tom Brady’s retirement. The Bucs have a record of 27-24 with Mayfield as their starter.
#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says the start of training camp is his deadline for getting a contract extension done. If not, he’ll play out the final year of his contract in 2026.
Mayfield said the two sides are “not close” right now. pic.twitter.com/n7SWk5aXvA
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 5, 2026
Where Things Stand
Mayfield and his agent, Tom Mills, have expressed a desire to finalize a new deal before training camp. If nothing is in place by his reporting date, expected in the last week of July, they will halt negotiations to focus on football.
On the field, Mayfield connected with Chris Godwin Jr. for back-to-back touchdowns during 7-on-7 drills in Thursday’s session. He also participated in the Bucs’ 12th annual “Cut & Color Funds the Cure” event, benefiting the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, where cancer survivors colored his hair with red spray paint.
For now, the business side remains unsettled, but Bowles isn’t worried.
