Baker Mayfield has spent the last three years turning himself into one of the best redemption stories in NFL history. Now he wants to get paid like it. Roughly $50 million per year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
That number would put Mayfield in the top seven of NFL quarterback pay. Just a few years ago, he was cut by the Panthers and had to fight his way onto the Rams as a backup. Now he is asking Tampa Bay to make him one of the highest-paid players in the sport.
The wild part is that he is not crazy for asking.
Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to back-to-back playoff appearances since taking over as the starter. He has thrown for over 4,000 yards each season. He is one of the more efficient deep-ball throwers in the league. And he did it all with a rotating supporting cast after Chris Godwin’s injury history and Mike Evans finally starting to slow down.
Tampa Bay has a decision to make and not a lot of time to make it. Mayfield is entering the final year of a three-year, $100 million contract that pays him $40 million in 2026. He has publicly said if a deal is not done before training camp, negotiations pause until after the season. That is a real threat because a franchise tag next spring costs the Bucs somewhere in the $47 million range against the cap.
The Bucs are not exactly flush with quarterback alternatives. There is no first-round rookie waiting behind him. Kirk Cousins-style veteran options in next year’s free agency market are shaky at best. Letting Mayfield walk would essentially mean starting over at the position with a team that is still built to win now.
The math also works in Mayfield’s favor. Jared Goff got $53 million per year. Trevor Lawrence got $55 million. Tua Tagovailoa got over $50 million. Mayfield’s on-field production compares favorably to all of them. If he is not worth $50 million, then none of them are either, and that is not the market NFL front offices are living in right now.
The counter-argument for Tampa is that Mayfield’s career has been up and down. Betting $250 million on the version of him who won two playoff games and lost close is different from betting on a proven long-term franchise quarterback. That is real risk.
But the Bucs already made this bet once, at a discount, and it worked. They gave Mayfield the $100 million deal after other teams passed. They watched him play well. Now the market has moved and they have to either match it or start over.
The smart bet is Tampa gets something done before Week 1. Probably not at $50 million even, but close. Mayfield has all the leverage now. The Bucs are the ones who have to blink.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
