As of the final Wednesday morning of April, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield remained in the final year of the three-year deal he signed to stay with the club in March 2024.
During an appearance on “The Drive with TKras” program, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht suggested that he wants Mayfield to be the team’s QB1 beyond the 2026 season.
Buccaneers plan to sign Baker Mayfield to extension “at some point?”
“Baker is at the forefront of our mind at all times,” Licht explained, per Kevin Patra of the NFL’s website. “All of our plans revolve around Baker. That’s something that we’ll get to at some point.”
Earlier this offseason, Buccaneers co-owner Joel Glazer said that it wouldn’t “hurt at all to write that check” to lock Mayfield down via what likely will be an expensive extension. However, Licht’s “some point” comment could lead one to believe that the two sides aren’t close to coming to terms on an agreement.
An update from earlier in April detailed that history shows the Glazer family could let the Mayfield situation drag through the entire 2026 campaign. From there, Tampa Bay could either retain Mayfield’s rights for 2027 via the franchise tag or let the 31-year-old explore free agency.
Buccaneers made offseason moves with Baker Mayfield in mind?
“I have had a lot of discussions with Baker about the team,” Licht continued. “We texted during the draft after some of the picks. I know he was excited about the players that we took. We have a great relationship. And listen, nobody here wants Baker to be playing for any other team, so I’ll just leave it at that.”
New questions about Mayfield’s long-term future in Tampa Bay arose after he dealt with a significant injury to his non-throwing shoulder during a collapse that featured the 2025 Buccaneers going from 6-2 to 8-9 en route to missing the playoffs. Licht seemingly wants it known that Mayfield is still the team’s first-choice option for the foreseeable future.
Until a deal is inked, however, some will continue to wonder if the Buccaneers could keep their options open regarding the sport’s most important position.
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