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Baker Mayfield on season ahead and life without Mike Evans (2:01)

Jenna Laine
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Jenna Laine
ESPN Staff Writer
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Jeremy Fowler
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Jeremy Fowler
senior NFL national reporter
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Ben Solak
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Ben Solak
ESPN

Sep 8, 2026, 07:16 PM ET

It was a surprise, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now have their quarterback locked in through the 2029 season after giving Baker Mayfield a three-year, $165 million extension Monday -- the largest contract in the franchise's history.

The Bucs offered a two-year extension, according to sources, but the two sides could not reach an agreement before Mayfield's mandated training camp deadline. But all of that has changed for the 2018 No. 1 pick.

Mayfield enters Year 4 in Tampa after first signing a one-year, $4 million deal worth up to $8.5 million in 2023. In 2024, the Bucs gave Mayfield a three-year deal for $100 million in total and $50 million guaranteed.

Now, they lock their guy up again, but what does this mean for the future? Buccaneers reporter Jenna Laine, national reporter Jeremy Fowler and NFL analyst Ben Solak dish on the happenings surrounding this deal five days before Tampa Bay kicks off its season at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox).

The LARGEST contract in Buccaneers history 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ed4X9HDSwy
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 8, 2026

Mayfield and the Bucs couldn't come to terms during camp. What changed?

A deadline. Mayfield wanted to cut off talks at the start of camp, but he never shut down the possibility of the Bucs trying again. In recent days, Tampa offered a deal that gave Mayfield two things he wanted: an agreement longer than two years, which was a sticking point originally, and average pay of $55 million per year, in line with Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence and Green Bay's Jordan Love. He felt that he had performed well enough to enter that salary tier. Tampa Bay's willingness to put him there helped facilitate a deal. Per sources, after the Bucs' final contract offer of two years and just north of $100 million, the two sides stopped talking. But those talks resumed over the weekend. -- Fowler and Laine

What does this mean for Mayfield and the Bucs this season?

The Bucs entered training camp with not one but two disgruntled team captains in Mayfield and defensive tackle Vita Vea. Mayfield practiced, but Vea held in by not practicing (he was also dealing with a back injury) and he requested a trade. Those are not ideal circumstances entering a season for a team trying to get back into the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2020 last year.

The Bucs re-signed Vea last month, and in locking in Mayfield now, they avoided not only a seasonlong distraction -- although Mayfield has been very good at tuning it out -- but also what is likely a much higher dollar figure in the coming months. You have to consider how much the market will change with several QBs being in line for contracts next year, plus a rising salary cap. Multiple agents told ESPN to expect today's $50 million will be $60 million tomorrow. Mayfield has said he does not need financial incentives to play better. He'll always seek ways to motivate himself. As his high school coach Hank Carter told ESPN, "His grease is always hot."

This can put to rest some of the concerns GM Jason Licht faced during training camp about a potential decline in the team's culture -- between those two deals not getting done and the departure of Mike Evans and retirement of Lavonte David. Licht responded by saying, "Not at all. ... I feel like the culture is maybe at one of its highest points." This helps reaffirm that. -- Laine

What does this mean for C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and other QBs awaiting new deals?

Not much. The overall quarterback market remains relatively unchanged, and Houston is comfortable placing Stroud in the $50 million-and-up club that 13 quarterbacks now occupy. Mayfield has a proven statistical track record; whereas with Stroud, Houston must decide how far it is willing to go to prevent Stroud from playing out his rookie deal, which he seems comfortable doing. Stroud, Young and others know that the market will balloon next offseason, when several stars from the 2024 draft class are eligible for new deals and Lamar Jackson could look for his next contract. -- Fowler

How would you grade the Mayfield extension?

B: Mayfield is a playmaker with high peaks (he was producing at top-of-the-league levels for stretches of 2024 and 2025) but low valleys (injuries and overaggressive play create big mistakes). He's obviously a good enough quarterback to extend but now must deliver the high-level, veteran consistency of a Jared Goff or Brock Purdy (both $53 million APY) in order to return value on this deal. This looks like a reasonable, market-rate deal for the Buccaneers. What will be interesting to see is how much guaranteed money is in the final year of the contract, as the Bucs were reportedly pushing for a two-year deal at first before capitulating to the three-year extension. -- Solak

Grading the move: Why the Bucs gave Baker Mayfield the largest contract in franchise history

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