Health A Factor In Baker Mayfield Extension Talks

As quarterback Baker Mayfield completed his third season as the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback on the second year of a three-year deal, it became clear that there were zero intentions on either side for the veteran to play on a contract year for the upcoming season. Tampa Bay’s most recent ideas for a long-term deal appeared to be far under what Mayfield had been expecting, and according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, it seems health is a main factor why.

Over the course of the 2025 season, it became clear that, if an extension was going to get done, it wouldn’t come until the offseason. Ownership and the front office were all on board, and head coach Todd Bowles added his approval to the chorus yesterday. When asked abut the progress of a new deal just over a week ago, though, Mayfield told reporters that he and the team were “not anywhere close” to an agreement. This comment came after some initial talks had taken place, and it seemed clear that the two sides will just need to continue working towards progress with no holdout likely on the table.

On its face, people might wonder how health can be considered a factor dragging down value for a quarterback who has started 51 of a possible 51 regular season games behind center since joining the Buccaneers. While that’s true, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Mayfield has been the picture of health. In fact, just last year, he suffered a shoulder sprain in his non-throwing should that limited him but didn’t hold him out. Following the injury, the team would go on to lose four of its last six games to just barely miss the playoffs. The year before saw Mayfield play through an Achilles injury suffered in a Week 13 matchup.

The team has Super Bowl aspirations, but that ultimate goal will be extremely difficult to attain if the driver of their offense continues to blow tires down crucial stretches of the season. The Buccaneers see it as an aspect of the game that Mayfield tends to neglect. His aggressive, sometimes ill-advised scrambles over the years will continue to have greater and greater effects on his health as he gets older each season. Bowles told the media that, while Mayfield “makes some great scrambles…understanding how to get down and putting himself out of harm’s way” will be crucial to the team’s success moving forward.

The two sides will have to continue to be open about these conversations in order to get their next ideas for an extension closer together. Per Stroud, Mayfield has reportedly set a deadline of the start of training camp to reach a new deal. If they can’t get it done by then, he does not intend to negotiate into the season. General manager Jason Licht isn’t worried about what that will mean for Mayfield’s in-season effort for the team, though. Mayfield has been in the position of having one year to earn his worth in the past, and it already led to an extension of his time in Tampa once before.