REPORTS: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Far Apart on New Deal, Progressing 'Slowly'
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a couple of moves as we approach the onset of free agency on the 13th of this month by re-signing veteran stud wide receiver Mike Evans to a two-year deal and placing the franchise tag on All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
With everything starting to figure itself out for the Bucs, all eyes have now turned towards QB Baker Mayfield.
The Buccaneers and Mayfield, or his agent, have gotten in contact to start initial conversations regarding where each other stands when it comes to reaching a contract extension, and we now have an idea of how apart the two sides might be on reaching said contract.
According to Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report, multiple sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations have relayed that although there has been progress made, the two sides remain fairly far apart from one another at the onset. The question for most people when reading that is, how far?
Mayfield’s camp is rumored to have begun negotiations with the Bucs starting the veteran quarterback at $44 million per year, while the Tampa Bay organization had about a $20 million difference on their mind offering $25 million per year. It is unknown which side made their offer known first, or who countered, but at this point it is clear that the two sides are seeing things a bit differently.
If those rumored amounts are true, then it appears that Baker and his circle are looking upwards of what New York Giants QB Daniel Jones makes ($40 million per year), with the thought in mind that they believe Mayfield is a better quarterback than Jones and deserves to be paid as such. While they are not wrong, no one thought the Jones contract was a good one to begin with, and ultimately all the Giants did was reset the market for quarterbacks.
On the other hand, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking somewhere around what Seattle Seahawks’ QB Geno Smith signed not too long ago at $25 million per year. It is understandable why the Bucs would initially go this direction, as Mayfield’s career has slightly mirrored that of Smith, but in all likelihood, Mayfield will punch above that.
Both sides have started on the opposite end of the spectrum at least when it comes to base salary, but at the end of the day, it appears there is some middle ground. If both sides were to meet in the middle it would be around $34.5 million per year which is right around where many have projected. That would be a good scenario for the Bucs, but there is always the chance for another team looking to sign Mayfield could drive the price up if he makes it to free agency in a week.
Despite the reports that the two sides are still far apart on a deal, ESPN's Jenna Laine is reporting that Mayfield's camp and the Bucs' organization are continuing to work towards a new contract, but that things are progressing "slowly".
Even with talks moving slowly between the two sides, there is still optimism that a deal will get done prior to when other teams can get involved starting next week. If not, the Buccaneers will find themselves competing with other teams for Baker's services come 2024.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.
