Will the Bucs and Baker Mayfield reach a deal before camp? Schefter weighs in
The informal late-July deadline we have been tracking is here. Adam Schefter expects talks to intensify in the final days before Tampa Bay reports, even as the two sides remain apart on the number.
The window we have followed all offseason has narrowed to a couple of weeks. Baker Mayfield wants a new deal done before the Buccaneers report to training camp, and Adam Schefter's read is that this is exactly the stretch when quarterback negotiations tend to get serious. Schefter expects the talks to heat up just before Tampa Bay's players report, while cautioning that expectation is not the same as a signed contract. Mayfield is playing out the final year of the three-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2024, and he has said talks were not close to where he hoped. With the deadline his side set now arriving, Schefter's assessment lands on the practical question everyone around the team is asking: does this get done in time, or does it wait until after the season?
What did Adam Schefter say about the timing?
Schefter framed the coming days as the natural pressure point in these negotiations. He noted that teams across the league hit a window right before training camp when extensions tend to come together, and he said he suspects the Mayfield talks will pick up just before Buccaneers players report on July 28. That is a measured take rather than a prediction of a signature, and Schefter has been careful to separate intent from outcome. Earlier this offseason he reported that Tampa Bay intends to re-sign Mayfield and get an extension done, while adding a caveat that the sides still have to actually reach that point. His weigh-in reads as cautious optimism about the timing, not a guarantee about the result.
Where do the two sides actually stand?
Still apart, based on the most recent reporting. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported in early July that the Buccaneers were in no rush and that the sides were not close, with a gap remaining between Mayfield's asking price and Tampa Bay's latest offer. Mayfield sits around 16th among quarterbacks in average annual salary at roughly $33.3 million, well below the tier of veteran starters now clearing $50 million a year, which helps explain the distance between the camps. He has been candid that Tampa Bay's earlier figures were not close to what he was looking for. The read here is that a real gap exists, and closing it in two weeks would take movement from both sides rather than a formality.
What happens if there is no deal before camp?
Mayfield has signaled he would step away from negotiations once camp opens to avoid the distraction, which means talks would likely pause until after the 2026 season. That would send him into a contract year with everything to play for and a path to unrestricted free agency in 2027 if nothing changes. This is the fourth beat in a saga we have tracked closely: Todd Bowles said he absolutely wants Mayfield long term, Pat McAfee argued the concern was overblown, and Mayfield himself pushed back on durability questions while addressing the contract directly. Schefter's weigh-in arrives as the deadline those earlier chapters pointed toward. Whether the sides use the pressure to close or let it slide to the winter is the story of the next two weeks.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Will the Bucs, Mayfield agree to a new deal before camp? Schefter weighs in
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