Why the Buccaneers Finally Got the Baker Mayfield Deal Done

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield had a bit of a contract spat over the offseason, with neither side able to get an extension done from free agency all the way to the end of training camp. Now, that spat is over.

The Bucs and Mayfield agreed to a three-year, $165 million deal on Tuesday night, just one day before the team's first real practice to prepare for their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It's the largest contract Tampa Bay has ever handed out, and it locks Mayfield down for the next four years in Tampa Bay.

Both sides initially couldn't come to an agreement, but it seems like general manager Jason Licht and his front office never wavered in trying to get Mayfield to stick around long-term. And if you've been listening to their rhetoric this offseason, that all makes perfect sense.

There's one real reason that the team got the deal done — their faith has simply never wavered in Mayfield.

The Buccaneers Never Stopped Believing in Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) drops back against the Kansas City Chiefs | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

General manager Jason Licht has never had any questions about Mayfield as Tampa Bay's premier player. When asked this offseason if he thought Mayfield was a franchise quarterback, he didn't hesitate to answer in the affirmative — even after Mayfield effectively put the team on blast during his own press availability at training camp.

"Yeah, we do think he is [a franchise quarterback]," Licht said during training camp. "We love Baker. Our feelings for Baker haven’t changed.”

Mayfield has thrown for 13,108 yards, 103 touchdowns and 39 interceptions in 54 games, including the playoffs for the Bucs during his career in Tampa Bay, and he's also won a playoff game with the team in 2023. Mayfield has a passer rating of 98.4 throughout his tenure as Tampa Bay's quarterback, and he also threw for over 40 touchdowns during his 2024 campaign.

That's a lot of positives to take away from his tenure, and Licht and company clearly believe that this production outweighs the negatives.

There are certainly negatives — Mayfield is the fourth-most-sacked quarterback in the NFL since he came to Tampa Bay, and he's also the leading fumbler in the NFL and has the most overall turnovers (48) in that same time span. While playing injured last year, Mayfield was one of the least productive quarterbacks in football, and it was a big contributor to the team's big late-season skid.

But the Bucs firmly believe the positives outweigh the negatives. Mayfield's injury problems last year have raised some concern, but Licht and head coach Todd Bowles don't seem to be worried about Mayfield putting himself in danger in 2026.

"I think he's very mindful of that. I think all quarterbacks, as they progress through their career, I think they are a little bit more in tune with that," Licht told media earlier this week. "I think if you would ask him, I’m not sure what the answer would be, but I think he's probably pretty mindful of that."

Simply put, the Bucs believe that Mayfield can return to the best things he does at the quarterback position and improve on some of the things that have caused concern in recent years. With that mindset, it makes a lot of sense that they'd believe in him to take the franchise helm in the long term.

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