Todd Bowles Says He 'Absolutely' Wants Baker Mayfield as Bucs' Long-Term QB
The Tampa Bay head coach backed his quarterback in no uncertain terms, even as contract talks remain far apart heading toward a training camp deadline.
Todd Bowles left no room for interpretation when asked about Baker Mayfield's future in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers head coach said there is "absolutely no question" he wants Mayfield as his quarterback long term, and he pushed back on the idea that stalled extension talks have weighed on the 31-year-old. Mayfield is entering the final year of the three-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2024, and he admitted negotiations are "not anywhere close to what we were thinking." His agent, Tom Mills, has set the final week of July, when the team reports to training camp, as the cutoff before talks pause until after the season.
What did Todd Bowles say about Baker Mayfield's contract situation?
Bowles made it clear the business side has not bled into the football side. "Baker's all business. He's all about business," Bowles said. "The contract stuff takes care of itself." He added that the standoff "doesn't affect his play" and called Mayfield "a true pro," saying he does not sense "any disappointment whatsoever" from his quarterback. Bowles also framed the relationship as mutual, noting that Mayfield "loves it here" and that the feeling runs both ways inside the building. For a coach speaking in June, with no deal in sight, it was about as strong an endorsement as Mayfield could ask for.
Where do contract negotiations between Mayfield and the Buccaneers stand?
Not in a good place, at least by Baker Mayfield's own telling. The quarterback said talks are "not anywhere close to what we were thinking," a blunt assessment of the gap between his camp and the front office. His agent, Tom Mills, has asked for a resolution before the Buccaneers report to training camp in the final week of July. If no agreement is reached by then, negotiations would be tabled until after the 2026 season. Mayfield, for his part, has stayed measured about the timeline, saying, "It's not up to me when that gets done by." Without a new deal, he would hit unrestricted free agency in 2027.
What is Baker Mayfield's current contract with Tampa Bay?
Mayfield is playing out the last year of a three-year, $100 million contract, which now looks like a bargain relative to the quarterback market. That deal came after he arrived in Tampa Bay in 2023 on a one-year prove-it contract worth up to $8.5 million, a low-cost flier on a former No. 1 overall pick whose career had stalled. He turned that flier into back-to-back NFC South titles in 2023 and 2024 and a 27-24 record as the Buccaneers' starter. The production has reset his value, which is exactly why the two sides are now haggling over what the next deal should look like.
How has the contract standoff affected Mayfield on the field?
By all accounts, it has not. Bowles insisted the uncertainty has had no impact on his quarterback's preparation or performance, and Mayfield has been a full participant in the Buccaneers' offseason program. During the practice session around Bowles' comments, Mayfield connected with Chris Godwin Jr. on consecutive touchdown passes, hardly the look of a player distracted by his paycheck. Tampa Bay has every incentive to keep it that way. A motivated Mayfield in a contract year could be very good news for the Buccaneers' offense, even if it makes his eventual price tag steeper.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Bucs' Bowles backs Mayfield as long-term QB amid contract talks
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