{"id":917061,"date":"2026-06-12T17:51:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T17:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/917061\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T17:51:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T17:51:19","slug":"buccaneers-want-mayfield-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/917061\/","title":{"rendered":"Buccaneers want Mayfield for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Buccaneers<\/a>Buccaneers NFL WEEK 5 Baker Mayfield has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first 3-0 start in 21 years, engineering game-winning drives in all three contests. Here’s how he’s become the NFL’s clutch king.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> head coach Todd Bowles left no doubt this week about where he stands on Baker Mayfield\u2019s future. Speaking ahead of training camp, Bowles said there is \u201cabsolutely no question\u201d he wants Mayfield as the franchise\u2019s long\u2011term quarterback. His comments come as Mayfield enters the final season of his three\u2011year, $100\u2011million contract, with negotiations on an extension still unresolved. Bowles emphasized that Mayfield\u2019s approach, leadership, and consistency make him the quarterback he wants guiding the team for years to come.<\/p>\n

Mayfield, now 31, acknowledged that contract talks have not progressed, noting that he set the start of training camp as his personal deadline for a new deal. He joined Tampa Bay on a one\u2011year, $4\u2011million deal in 2023 before earning his current contract. His performance since arriving has reshaped the franchise\u2019s identity, even as the team missed the playoffs last season for the first time in five years.<\/p>\n

Bowles Praises Mayfield\u2019s Professionalism and Stability<\/p>\n

Bowles highlighted Mayfield\u2019s business\u2011first mindset, saying the quarterback never lets contract matters affect his preparation or performance. He stressed that the \u201cbusiness side\u201d of football always works itself out, and that Mayfield\u2019s focus remains on leading the offense. Bowles also noted that the organization values Mayfield\u2019s presence and that both sides want the relationship to continue.<\/p>\n

Mayfield\u2019s 2025 season started with MVP\u2011level buzz, but his production dipped late in the year. He finished with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. From Weeks 11\u201118, he ranked 26th in passer rating and 29th in interceptions among qualifying quarterbacks. Even so, Bowles believes Mayfield\u2019s body of work and leadership outweigh the late\u2011season struggles.<\/p>\n

What Mayfield Means to Tampa Bay\u2019s Future<\/p>\n

Since Mayfield became the starter, the Buccaneers have posted a 27\u201124 record. His presence has stabilized the offense and given the franchise a clear identity after the Tom Brady era. Bowles made it clear that continuity matters, and that Mayfield\u2019s connection with the locker room and coaching staff is a major factor in wanting him long\u2011term.<\/p>\n

As training camp approaches, the question shifts from whether the Bucs want Mayfield to whether the two sides can finalize a deal. Bowles\u2019 public support signals the organization\u2019s commitment. Now the focus turns to negotiations and whether Tampa Bay can secure its quarterback before the season begins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Buccaneers NFL WEEK 5 Baker Mayfield has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first 3-0 start in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":917062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[1842,211,122596,7,6,835,122597,704,250,2597,2596,7763],"class_list":["post-917061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-buccaneers","tag-bucs-quarterback-future","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-news","tag-nfl-contract-talks","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabaybuccaneers","tag-todd-bowles"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116738410882707820","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=917061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=917061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}