After the Cleveland Browns initially drafted him, Baker Mayfield played for three different franchises in his first five NFL seasons. Now it appears that Mayfield found his home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In fact, Bucs general manager Jason Licht expressed infatuation with the veteran quarterback, and wants to keep Mayfield in Tampa for the long haul.
“I love Baker. I love everything he’s done for us,” Licht told The Athletic on Thursday. “The goal for us is for Baker to continue to be the player that he is, and at some point, we reach an extension when the time is right and he continues to be our quarterback for a long time. That’s the goal.”
Licht admitted that there are no immediate plans to alter Mayfield’s contract, which expires after the 2026 season. Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract extension to remain with the Bucs in the 2024 offseason after thriving with the team during the 2023 season.
“No matter what I was playing for, I’d still show up and do my job,” said Mayfield, who makes $4.5 million this season pending any changes. “I think they know that here. I’m living a dream. I’m playing football for a job, and I love the group I have. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
There are 15 quarterbacks that making at least $45 million on an annual basis, so it’s very possible that Mayfield inches closer to that ballpark sooner rather than later.
“We’re all ecstatic he’s our quarterback,” Licht said. “It’s an amazing story. What he’s been through with his career and his personal life, to come out of it the way he is, the future is bright for him.”
Mayfield has been through a lot in his first seven seasons at the NFL level. After spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns, the veteran signal caller was traded to the Carolina Panthers in July 2022. Mayfield spent part of the 2022 season in Carolina before being claimed off of waivers by the Los Angeles Rams.
In the 2023 offseason, Mayfield signed a one-year, $4 million deal to join the Bucs and has been a fixture ever since. In 2024, Mayfield produced career-highs in completion percentage (71.4), passing yards (4,500), and touchdowns (41) and led Tampa Bay to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma on his way to becoming the No. 1 overall draft pick.
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Author: Chris Bengel
July 25, 2025 | 10:11 am
