Why Buccaneers Will Make This Baker Mayfield Bold Prediction Come True

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield are in it for the long haul.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) at the line of scrimmage | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield are focused on this upcoming football season, but it's never too early to think about the future.

Mayfield, who joined the Buccaneers in 2023 and has been largely successful with the franchise since then, is set to be a free agent in 2027 after signing a three-year deal before the 2024 season. This year could be a big one for Mayfield when it comes to proving his worth, but many NFL pundits believe that Mayfield already has.

Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr recently wrote a list of 100 bold predictions, and one of them isn't so bold at all — the notion that Mayfield will sign a big extension with the Buccaneers before the start of the 2026 season.

Baker Mayfield Could Be Set for Big Contract

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass against the Carolina Panthers | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Orr believes that Mayfield's leadership will be a big factor in why the Buccaneers will lock him down before the start of this season.

"Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters after the draft that Mayfield, who turned 31 in April, is always at the forefront of their minds," Orr wrote. "In a world of haves and have-nots at the quarterback position, Mayfield is far more than a bridge quarterback to another era. As the Buccaneers chart a path forward without Mike Evans, his leadership is more important — and expensive — than ever."

This prediction should come as a surprise to no one. Mayfield and the Buccaneers have plenty of mutual love for each other, and for good reason — outside of a very rough stretch during the back half of 2025, Mayfield has largely performed well for the Buccaneers, revitalizing his career in Tampa Bay in his first year starting there in 2023 and then throwing over 40 touchdowns in 2024. Mayfield also looked like an MVP candidate through the first few weeks of 2025, and he'll look to get back that form for the entire year in 2026.

Given Mayfield's form at the end of last season, though, a contract extension could be a risky proposition. If the Buccaneers don't end the season with a winning record or Mayfield doesn't play well, an extension could see Mayfield signed through a regime change in Tampa Bay.

That being said, the Bucs and Mayfield are clearly confident that such things won't happen. A $50 million APY contract would put Mayfield in the pay range of the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff and the San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy, which would make sense given Mayfield's production when healthy. An extension for Mayfield certainly seems more like a when rather than an if.

Until then, though, the Buccaneers will have their third week of OTAs next week before mandatory minicamp begins in June. Mayfield will be attending all of these practices, and he'll look to improve and try to make himself worthy of his impending new deal.

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