Adam Schefter Shares Buccaneers Contract Update On Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea

Here's where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at with Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks on against the Atlanta Falcons | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have retooled a good portion of their roster in hopes of fielding a competitive team in 2026. But there are two players who have been with the team for years and are looking to re-up on their contracts before the start of camp.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is currently playing on a $33 million APY deal that he signed at the beginning of 2024, but in the last year of that deal, he's looking to make more in line with a top-10 quarterback. Mayfield has given the Bucs until the start of training camp on July 28 to get a deal done.

Defensive tackle Vita Vea is in a similar situation. He's currently playing on a $17,750,000 APY deal he signed in 2022. He "held in" at mandatory minicamp and did not participate, and it's unknown what he'll do at training camp if he does not get a new deal.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter recently appeared on an episode of the Pat McAfee Show, and when he was asked about Mayfield and Vea's contracts, he seemed to indicate that movement on both fronts could be happening sooner rather than later.

Could the Buccaneers Extend Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea Before Training Camp?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) walks out for player introductions prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Schefter said that the Bucs gave Mayfield an offer that he wasn't satisfied with, and they weren't close in evaluation.

He did say, though, that the two could find a deal as talks heat up closer to training camp.

"They had talks before. The Buccaneers made an offer, and it wasn't what Baker was thinking," Schefter said. "Obviously, he himself said they weren't close... I think you'll see a bunch of extensions get done here in the coming weeks for players that are worthy of them, for teams that want to keep certain guys. And I would think the Buccaneers will definitely be working to try to get a deal done with Baker."

When asked about Vea, Schefter mentioned the "same thing" was happening on that front.

"Same thing," Schefter said. "I mean, look, I think there's somebody on every team just about where the team wants to get that guy off the market, under contract, and there's this window here, right? Look, I think we're about a week away from some of these talks heating up."

The update on Mayfield isn't surprising. Both teams want to get a deal done and have made that very clear, so a deal before Mayfield's training camp deadline would not be shocking.

Vea's situation, however, is interesting. He's 31 years old heading into this season, and paying him top DT money would be a riskier prospect than paying Mayfield. There's also the matter of what he'd do if he did not get his deal — he held in at minicamp, so would he not participate in training camp, too?

The Bucs have an interesting decision with Vea, both in whether or not they should pay him and, if they do, just how much. July 28 is fast approaching, though, so we'll see how fast things start to move in the coming days.

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