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Baker Mayfield calls out Buccaneers for 'disappointing' result of contract dispute: 'Feel disrespected' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Some believe Baker Mayfield plays his best when he's angry. If that's the case, the Buccaneers quarterback could be due for a big season.
Frustrated by contract negotiations that went nowhere, Mayfield took aim at his team Thursday, calling out the Buccaneers' offer and making it clear that playing on an expiring contract wasn't his first choice.
Mayfield heads into his fourth season in Tampa Bay with something to prove after cooling off following a hot start last season. He never regained that early form as the Buccaneers fell short of an NFC South title for the first time in his tenure with the team.
Here's what Mayfield had to say about his contract situation.
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Baker Mayfield calls out Buccaneers for contract dispute
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Mayfield said he wasn't given a contract offer that matches what he's brought to the Buccaneers.
"It's disappointing in that regard to feel disrespected a bit," he said, explaining that he feels "undervalued" by the franchise.
"I think I'm a franchise quarterback. I've been told I'm a franchise quarterback," Mayfield said. "So to not have a deal done is very disappointing."
Mayfield set a deadline for the start of training camp to get a deal done. Once camp started, Mayfield said, it became "all ball" for him, cutting off negotiations.
The former No. 1 pick has been remarkably candid about his frustration, but he isn't holding out or even "holding in." Mayfield is practicing in full and preparing to play out the season with a chip on his shoulder before his contract expires in March.
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What was Buccaneers' contract offer to Baker Mayfield?
Mayfield told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that the Buccaneers only offered him a two-year contract, which he called the "most disappointing" part of the negotiations. Mayfield received a three-year deal after his career season in 2023.
The 31-year-old didn't reveal the exact value of the Buccaneers' offer, but he said the team was "pretty far" from $50 million per year. 12 quarterbacks currently make at least $50 million annually, including Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff and Brock Purdy.
Mayfield appears to at least consider himself part of that tier of quarterbacks, and the result is a major gap between himself and Tampa Bay.
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Baker Mayfield contract details
Mayfield is heading into the final season of the three-year, $100 million deal he received from the Buccaneers in 2024 after his resurgent first season with the team.
At the time, that seemed like an appropriate contract, considering Mayfield was at risk of losing his place as a starting quarterback in the NFL just a year earlier. The Buccaneers bet on him sustaining that strong season, and he's largely done that, even with a disappointing finish to 2025.
Two years later, quarterback salaries have risen, and Mayfield has a larger body of work to rest on. Mayfield is the NFL's 17th-highest-paid quarterback, with a significant chunk of the starting quarterbacks behind him on that list simply playing on their rookie contracts.
Unless Mayfield reverses course, he will either become a free agent or receive the franchise tag from the Buccaneers in the offseason.
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