{"id":917297,"date":"2026-06-13T00:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/917297\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T00:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:09:16","slug":"tampa-bay-buccaneers-gm-address-baker-mayfields-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/917297\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM address Baker Mayfield’s future"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL<\/a> may be heading toward training camp, but that doesn\u2019t mean contract negotiations will slow down. If anything, they\u2019ll only intensify across the league. One of the most notable contract situations involves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and star quarterback Baker Mayfield.<\/p>\n

Mayfield has enjoyed a career renaissance since arriving in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have also benefited from getting top-10 quarterback production at a bargain price. However, with 2026 set to be the final year of his current contract, Mayfield wants a new deal that will keep him in Tampa long term. While he recently indicated that negotiations remain far apart, the Buccaneers have made it clear they want him to stay.<\/p>\n

General manager Jason Licht told the media<\/a> that the organization\u2019s goal is to keep Mayfield in Tampa for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

MORE: JJ McCarthy still has key support from key Minnesota Vikings star<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had some discussions and we\u2019ll continue to have some internal discussions and see, and try to bring this to closure one way or another,\u201d Licht said.<\/p>\n

\"TampaTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield warming up before a game against the Carolina Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\u201cBut no one wants to see Baker go anywhere, and no one\u2019s worried about how Baker\u2019s mindset is going to be. I\u2019ve had conversations with him about that. He\u2019s all about wanting to win. So he\u2019s in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only part of Licht\u2019s comments that might raise eyebrows is his use of the phrase \u201cone way or another.\u201d More than likely, he was referring to bringing the current round of negotiations to a resolution. After all, the Buccaneers still have until next March to work out a new deal.<\/p>\n

Despite Mayfield publicly expressing some frustration with the contract talks, Licht does not believe it will affect negotiations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI respect Baker,\u201d Licht said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and tight end Cade Otton (88) leave the field after defeating the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s free to say whatever he wants to say. And that\u2019s the way he\u2019s wired and I have nothing but love for Baker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayfield joined Tampa Bay in 2023 and immediately revitalized his career, leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs. His performance earned him a three-year, $100 million contract, and he has lived up to that investment. Now, he\u2019ll look to guide Tampa Bay back to the postseason once again.<\/p>\n

The biggest question remains: what kind of contract will Mayfield command? The NFL\u2019s top quarterback contracts now exceed $60 million per year on average. Mayfield\u2019s current annual salary is nearly half that figure, making his next deal one of the most intriguing storylines to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL may be heading toward training camp, but that doesn\u2019t mean contract negotiations will slow down. If…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":917298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[1842,211,7,6,704,103779,250,2597,2596],"class_list":["post-917297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-buccaneers","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneeers","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabaybuccaneers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116739897029504460","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917297","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=917297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=917297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}