Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Will Play 2026 Season Without New Contract

Here goes nothing! Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ended extension talks, and the quarterback will play out the final year of his contract without a new deal, our Greg Auman reported on Tuesday morning. Mayfield is entering the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract with the Buccaneers, with Mayfield’s $33.3 million average annual value 16th among NFL quarterbacks. The 31-year-old signal-caller has a roughly $40 million cap hit for next season. For reference, Justin Herbert is the 10th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL based on annual average salary at $52.5 million, according to Over The Cap. If Mayfield hits the open market next offseason, it would be the second time in the quarterback’s eight-year career (2018-25) that he becomes a free agent; he signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers in the 2023 offseason, which came after he was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams during the 2022 season. Last season (2025), Mayfield totaled 3,693 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 90.6 passer rating, while completing 63.2% of his passes. He also rushed for 382 yards and one touchdown and dealt with biceps and shoulder injuries, respectively, in a season that saw the Buccaneers miss the playoffs at 8-9, ending the franchise’s four-year stretch of winning the NFC South. For context, Mayfield posted career highs in passing yards (4,500), passing touchdowns (41), passer rating (106.8) and completion percentage (71.4%) in 2024. He was a Pro Bowler in both 2023 and 2024 for Tampa Bay. Granted, he led the NFL with 16 interceptions in 2024. Elsewhere for the Buccaneers, defensive tackle and two-time Pro Bowler Vita Vea, who’s also a free agent after next season, has reportedly requested a trade. Like Mayfield, though, Vea is present for training camp. Mayfield was an early favorite for the MVP award through six games last season. In that span, he had 12 touchdowns and one interception while completing 66.2% of his passes and averaging 7.9 yards per attempt. In his final 11 games, those numbers went down to 14 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 61.5% completion percentage and 6.2 yards per attempt. Tampa Bay went 5-1 in those first six games but finished the season 3-8 and missed the playoffs.