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Buccaneers, Mayfield Reach 3-Year, $165M Extension
Confirmed
In Short: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield have agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension, ending a contentious offseason contract negotiation.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield have reached a three-year, $165 million extension, surprising many given the team's previous reluctance to meet Mayfield's demands.
Mayfield had insisted on a long-term deal by the start of training camp, but the Buccaneers initially offered him a two-year extension, which he deemed insufficient.
The agreement not only secures Mayfield's future with the team but also ties him with some of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, including Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.
Mayfield's contract makes him the highest-paid player in Buccaneers history, while the team also secured a one-year, $30 million extension for defensive tackle Vita Vea, keeping him through 2027.
General manager Jason Licht expressed his satisfaction, calling Mayfield 'the heartbeat' of the team, despite the team's initial stance that their belief in him hadn't wavered.
What's still developing
- Mayfield made it clear that he wanted to have a deal in place by the time he reported to practice and said that he would not resume talks until after the 2026 season.
- Not only did the Buccaneers ultimately bend to give Mayfield his raise and three years of security, but they also granted star defensive tackle Vita Vea the raise and extension he sought.
- On June 5, Mayfield said that the Buccaneers "are not anywhere close to what we were thinking" as far as contract figures were concerned.
- The veteran quarterback said to ESPN in July that Tampa Bay offered him an extension of just two years, which was "probably the most disappointing part" considering he wanted long-term stability.
- While that would have placed Mayfield in the "$50 million per year" club -- which he said was a requirement for him to sign a new deal -- it lacked the third year he sought.
- That salary places Mayfield in a tie for the third-highest-paid quarterback in the league, matching him with Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence and Matthew Stafford.
- Vea requested a trade and conducted a hold-in during camp until he landed a one-year, $30 million extension that keeps him in town through 2027.
- Bucs, Mayfield reach 3-year, $165M extension, sources say | ESPN La Crosse 105.5 You are using an outdated browser.