Buccaneers' Tristan Wirfs Reveals Thoughts on Baker Mayfield Contract Negotiations

Here's what Tristan Wirfs said about his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate and best friend Baker Mayfield's current contract saga.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6), offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has made it clear that he's looking for a new deal ahead of the 2026 season while he's set to play on the last year of his $33 million APY deal he signed in 2024, and the Bucs have made it clear that they'd like to make that happen. Things aren't so simple, though, and Mayfield told reporters a few weeks ago that the two sides are nowhere close and that he's given the Bucs a training camp deadline before he stops negotiating.

Despite that, though, it's hard to believe that the Bucs and Mayfield won't get something done. Mayfield has played good football and left a positive mark on the Tampa Bay Area, and he's gotten along very well with his teammates — perhaps best with All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs. Mayfield and Wirfs are best friends, and naturally, no one would like to see Mayfield back in Tampa more than him.

Wirfs recently sat down with WFLA's Aileen Hnatiuk to talk about a wealth of topics as the season draws closer, and naturally, he was asked about his thought's on Mayfield's contract situation.

Tristan Wirfs Wants Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay For a Long Time

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) congratulates quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Wirfs said that Mayfield's contract wishes shouldn't affect his everyday preparation, and he made it clear that he'd like to block for Mayfield for quite a bit longer.

"Even the first time around, it didn’t really affect him, like how he approached every day, how he interacted with any of us, how he went out to practice. It never affected him that way," Wirfs said. "I don’t know a ton about it. Obviously, I want him to be here for a long time. I want him to be my quarterback for a long time. So, I hope things work out for him and with the whole contract situation. But I know he’s still the same guy who’s coming in here day in and day out and leading us... I know he's gonna be the same dog that he always is.”

Wirfs knows a little bit about how the contract game goes — he was in a similar situation until he signed a massive extension in 2024 that pays him an average of $28,120,000. Wirfs is likely willing to block for anybody, but Mayfield has developed a strong rapport with the team and has done quite well in his stint since coming to Tampa Bay in 2023.

Mayfield himself stressed that he expects to have a "good year" regardless of whether or not he signs a new contract, so Wirfs's words aren't unfounded. Mayfield's training camp deadline is approaching soon, but it's hard to imagine that he wouldn't take the right deal if it came in after the start of training camp.

Nevertheless, Mayfield is hoping to get a big deal like Wirfs did two years ago before training camp starts at the edge of July, and it certainly sounds like Wirfs is hoping for the same thing.

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