The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already smoothed over one contract headache this summer, but Baker Mayfield remains the one that still hangs over the team.
After the club and defensive tackle Vita Vea reached a short-term fix on his playing future, the quarterback’s situation has become the biggest deal-related storyline in Tampa Bay. Mayfield is still in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in March 2024, and the sides have already had some real movement behind the scenes.
ESPN/NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo laid out that back-and-forth during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show."
"They did go back and forth," Garafolo said about the Buccaneers and Mayfield, per the JoeBucsFan website. "Like Baker Mayfield and his camp did respond to the Buccaneers’ two-year offer with their own two-year proposal as well."
That tracks with the reporting that surfaced in late July from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, via Jenna Laine, that Tampa Bay had put a two-year deal on the table worth slightly above $100 million in total. The sticking point, according to that report, was the structure - especially the guaranteed money.
Jason Licht has already defended the club’s position. Earlier this month, the Buccaneers general manager said that "we felt on our end it was a strong offer that represented a franchise quarterback."
Mayfield, for his part, has made no secret of his frustration that he still doesn’t have a deal he likes. At the same time, he’s also said he remains locked in on helping Tampa Bay get back to the playoffs this season.
Garafolo’s latest read suggests this wasn’t a case of one side refusing to engage. It was more a matter of both camps trying to land on the right balance of total money and guarantees.
"It’s not like they said, 'We are adamantly opposed to a two-year extension,'" Garafolo added about Mayfield's camp. "It’s just once those numbers started to go back and forth, they couldn’t get to an agreement on total money and guarantees."
That leaves the door open for something to still get done before Tampa Bay opens the regular season at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 13. Mayfield had previously said he wouldn’t keep negotiating once training camp began, though that stance may not end up being final.
Vea’s situation showed just how quickly these things can shift. Earlier this month, his agent said he didn’t see it "ending in anything but a trade at this point." Then on Thursday, Vea told reporters he "always wanted to be a Buc" and "wanted to be a Buc for life."
In Other News...
Buccaneers Suddenly Have A Backup Quarterback Question To Weigh
The Browns decision to keep Deshaun Watson atop the depth chart for Week 1 has only sharpened the conversation around Shedeur Sanders, who impressed enough in the preseason to keep himself in the mix as a young quarterback with some real intrigue. After starting seven games as a rookie, Sanders enters the season in a familiar but awkward spot for a team that has to balance patience with the possibility that another club could come calling if it wants a backup with upside.
For the Buccaneers, that is the kind of question that tends to linger once the roster settles and the league starts looking for solutions behind center. Tampa Bay is among the teams mentioned as a possible fit, alongside the Rams, Eagles and Ravens, but nothing has moved beyond speculation at this point. The interesting part is not whether Sanders is available right now, but whether a team like the Bucs decides his talent is worth pressing for before the market tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs May Have Found A Low-Cost Answer To A Troubling Depth Issue
Cody Ford has popped up as a possible low-cost addition for Tampa Bay, a move that would give the Buccaneers another veteran option along an offensive line that could use more reliable depth. Released by the Bengals, Ford brings a familiar blend of experience and versatility, with starts at both guard and tackle over the last five NFL seasons.
There is also a small layer of familiarity here that could matter as Tampa Bay weighs its options. Ford and Baker Mayfield were college teammates at Oklahoma during Mayfields Heisman season in 2017, and that shared history could be part of what makes Ford an appealing fit as the Bucs look for help without making a major financial commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Have A Backup QB Problem They Can't Easily Solve
The Buccaneers are suddenly staring at a backup quarterback situation that looks less settled than it did a few weeks ago. Behind Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay has been sorting through Jake Brownings veteran experience and Jalon Daniels more dynamic preseason showing, and the contrast between the two has made the decision more interesting than expected.
Browning brings the kind of familiarity and steadiness teams usually want in a reserve, but Daniels has flashed the upside that can make a coaching staff pause. For a Buccaneers team that wants clarity behind its starter, the question now is whether it leans on the safer option or bets on the younger passer with more juice. [Read more 🡒]