Bucs Confident Extensions With Baker Mayfield, YaYa Diaby Will Be Finalized
The 2026 offseason has long loomed as the likeliest point at which a Baker Mayfield Buccaneers extension would be worked out. General manager Jason Licht expects an agreement to indeed be reached this spring. 
“Baker is a true pro. He’s a leader for this team. We love Baker,” Licht said at the league meeting (via Rob Maadi of the Associated Press). “Baker is still our quarterback. He’s one of the toughest guys on the team. He’s a great leader. Everything kind of revolves around the quarterback spot. At some point, I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
Licht confirmed there is no timeline in place for a Mayfield deal to be finalized. The surprisingly effective 2023 free agent signing played his way into a long-term commitment during his debut season in Tampa Bay. The sides agreed to a three-year, $100MM pact which allowed Mayfield to remain the team’s starter. He is owed $40MM for 2026 as things stand, a figure which is almost the same as his cap charge. The Bucs acted early when locking in $30MM of that compensation.
A long-term pact would of course be the next logical step. Mayfield, 31 next month, was unable to match his production from 2023 and ’24 during this past campaign, but particularly early in the year he thrived in the QB1 role. Much of Tampa Bay’s offense will remain in place from last season, with the rather notable exception of wideout Mike Evans. Mayfield’s latest offensive coordinator will be Zac Robinson, whose hire he pushed for during the winter.
Licht also said a new deal for pass rusher YaYa Diaby should be in place ahead of next season. Diaby immediately carved out a large role for himself upon entering the NFL three years ago. The Louisville product has been a full-time starter since then, posting 32 pressures in each of the past two seasons. Diaby has never topped 7.5 sacks in a single campaign, but he has been a mainstay on a Tampa Bay defense lacking in established edge rush producers.
Entering his age-27 season, Diaby is currently a pending free agent for next spring. It comes as little surprise an extension is being targeted in his case. Mayfield’s new pact will no doubt be the higher priority, but Diaby is a strong candidate to open the 2026 season with a new deal of his own based on Licht’s optimism.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Diaby, Saints
The Panthers will be shorthanded at the quarterback position for a bit. Andy Dalton sustained a quad injury, per Dave Canales, that is expected to sideline the 14th-year veteran for the next couple of weeks. As a result, Canales said (via The Athletic’s Joe Person) the Panthers are looking to add a quarterback. Carolina gave Dalton a two-year, $10MM deal with $8MM fully guaranteed to back up its to-be-determined rookie arm last year. Dalton backed up Bryce Young throughout last season and is in place to do so for a second coaching staff.
Rookie UDFA Jack Plummer is the only other passer on the Panthers’ 90-man roster. Ryan Tannehill headlines the list of available arms, one that also includes Blaine Gabbert and Trevor Siemian, but it would surprise if the recent Titans starter — who said recently he is not actively seeking a deal — accepted what looks to be a short-term opportunity. Though, it does appear the Panthers want a more experienced option running with their second team during practice and into the preseason.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Also on the injury front, the Buccaneers will be without YaYa Diaby for several weeks. A 2023 third-round pick who may well be Tampa Bay’s top edge-rushing option, Diaby sustained a high ankle sprain in practice, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. Diaby was carted way from Bucs practice Thursday but looks to have avoided a major injury. The team has Week 1 as a realistic goal, according to ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine, who adds the second-year pass rusher is optimistic about not missing any regular-season time. He will not play during the Bucs’ preseason slate. Diaby, who replaced Joe Tryon-Shoyinka opposite the since-retired Shaq Barrett during the season, registered a Bucs-most 7.5 sacks in 2023.
- The Saints‘ tackle situation has generated considerable attention this year, but they also need to make a change at guard. After James Hurst‘s retirement and Andrus Peat‘s Raiders defection, the team has a vacancy on the left side next to first-rounder Taliese Fuaga. Early during camp, the Saints have 2023 fourth-rounder Nick Saldiveri in place as their LG starter opposite Cesar Ruiz, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. It sounds like the Saints want the Old Dominion alum to start, as WWL Radio’s Jeff Nowak indicates the team has not planned on rotating its first-team O-line reps. Saldiveri, a trade-up target last year, played in four games as a rookie. This would also mean the team’s Trevor Penning-at-RT rumors are close to producing a starting role, though preseason play will help determine New Orleans’ final five.
- New Orleans’ recent Rashid Shaheed extension will give him a $4.2MM base salary for 2025 and a $1MM signing bonus, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. Heavy void years proponents, the Saints will spread the bonus from 2024-27; the ’26 and ’27 seasons are voids. This will prevent the Saints from having to use a first- or second-round tender on their UDFA find next year, though it is far from a true extension. Given an ERFA tender months before this deal, Shaheed remains on track for unrestricted free agency in 2026.
- Circling back to the Panthers, their agreement with Kemoko Turay is for one year and $1.13MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. No guaranteed money is included in the deal. Carolina’s contract for return man/receiver Deven Thompkins is worth $985K, Wilson adds.
- As the Panthers transition to GM Dan Morgan‘s leadership, a scouting change will occur. Carolina is losing Midwest area scout Joel Patten, Person indicates. Patten, whom Dave Gettleman hired to his Midwest scout post in 2016, is retiring. A former NFL O-lineman who started for the Chargers and Colts in the late 1980s, Patten has worked in scouting roles in Washington, San Francisco, Houston and St. Louis. The 49ers employed Patten, 66, as director of player personnel from 2013-15. Former Eagles staffer Brad Obee is now in place as the Panthers’ Midwest scout.
Bucs To Start YaYa Diaby Over Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
The Buccaneers have made a switch at outside linebacker. Head coach Todd Bowles said on a recent appearance on the Buccaneers Radio Network that third-round rookie YaYa Diaby, who earned the first start of his pro career against the Colts last week, will start opposite Shaq Barrett moving forward, thereby relegating Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to reserve duty (via JoeBucsFan.com).
Tryon-Shoyinka, a 2021 first-rounder, solidified himself as a starting OLB at the end of his rookie season and started 16 of Tampa Bay’s 17 games in 2022. He posted four sacks and 10 QB hits in 2021, but despite playing nearly twice as many snaps the following season, he again registered four sacks and just 14 QB hits. Thus far this season, he has again tallied four sacks to go along with six QB hits.
The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus consider Tryon-Shoyinka a slightly above-average edge defender in 2023, assigning him a 67.1 overall score and a 63.5 mark as a pass rusher, which are nearly identical to the grades he earned in 2022. That is a respectable enough performance, but at this point, the Bucs probably expected more from a former first-round pick in his third professional campaign. As Bowles said, Diaby “does some things better than Joe” and “probably is the [physically] strongest [outside linebacker] we have out there.”
In roughly 150 fewer snaps, Diaby has matched Tryon-Shoyinka’s sack total and has recorded just one fewer QB hit. He turned in a two-sack performance in Tampa Bay’s Week 11 loss to the 49ers, which is what prompted Bowles to elevate him to the starting lineup against Indianapolis in Week 12.
The hope, of course, is that Diaby can provide more of a consistent threat to opposing quarterbacks, especially since Barrett — who suffered a torn Achilles in the middle of last season — is struggling to match the level of production he has enjoyed for much of his Bucs tenure. Buoyed by strong showings from D-linemen Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, the club at least has managed to remain in the middle of the pack in terms of total sacks.
While Bowles did say that Tryon-Shoyinka would still see playing time, the demotion comes at a very bad time for the Washington product. Tampa Bay will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option by May 2024, and it seems unlikely the team will exercise it. The option would give Tryon-Shoyinka a fully-guaranted salary of $12.8MM in 2025.