From $4 million to $55 million a year
Three years ago Baker Mayfield arrived in Tampa on a one-year, $4 million contract as the man asked to fill the hole Tom Brady left behind. Today the Buccaneers made him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
The club announced a three-year extension running through the 2029 season without disclosing terms. ESPN and NFL Network put it at $165 million, an average of $55 million per year. Mayfield had been playing out the final season of the three-year, $100 million deal he signed in March 2024, an average of $33.33 million that ranked 16th among NFL quarterbacks before Tuesday.
The timing raised eyebrows. On July 30, with camp underway and his self-imposed deadline blown, Mayfield told reporters he felt “disrespected” and “undervalued” by the team. ESPN reported at the time that Tampa Bay had put two years averaging north of $50 million on the table. He passed. Six weeks later he has a third year and a bigger number.
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What the numbers actually say
Mayfield made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2024 and helped deliver back-to-back division titles. Last season read differently. Tampa Bay finished 8-9, dropped seven of its final nine games and missed the playoffs. He still started all 17 games while carrying multiple injuries, throwing for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
One figure from that season is worth pausing on. Mayfield averaged 6.9 yards per carry, the best mark in the league among quarterbacks with at least 50 rushing attempts, on 55 runs for a career-high 382 yards. Across eight seasons and 123 regular-season games with Cleveland, Carolina, the Rams and Tampa Bay, he has completed 63.5 percent of his throws for 28,525 yards, 197 touchdowns and 101 interceptions, adding 1,338 yards and 12 scores in five playoff games.
The case from inside the building
General manager Jason Licht called him “the heartbeat of this team” in the club’s release. Head coach Todd Bowles pointed to a locker room that feeds off him every day. Mayfield was voted a team captain for a fourth straight season this year, and Tampa Bay nominated him for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2025.
The first overall pick of the 2018 draft out of Oklahoma opens his fourth Buccaneers season Sunday at Cincinnati.
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