Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says he feels 'disrespected' amid contract impasse
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't budging in their negotiations with Baker Mayfield. The star quarterback, too, is holding his ground.
With veteran players reporting for training camp on Tuesday, July 28, Mayfield followed through on his pledge to table talks with the team on an extension. The ninth-year veteran plans to play out the final year of his deal before revisiting his football future.
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Now, Mayfield has reached a crossroads with the organization that helped the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 revive his career.
"I'm very, very thankful for the chance (the Buccaneers) gave me – do not get me wrong on that," Mayfield said in a news conference on Thursday, July 30. "But I also know what I brought to this franchise, leadership-wise and play-wise. It's been the best years of my career, and I think it's only going to trend upward. So it's disappointing in that regard to feel disrespected a little bit. That's really the disappointing part – to feel undervalued after thinking you've earned it."
Mayfield and the Buccaneers are coming off a tumultuous season in which the franchise lost its four-year hold on the NFC South. In leading Tampa Bay to a 6-2 mark to start the year, the signal-caller placed himself at the forefront of the midseason MVP conversation. But the Buccaneers dropped seven of their final eight contests and their five-year run of playoff berths come to an end.
Mayfield, who later acknowledged he played through multiple injuries last season, threw nine interceptions in that nine-game span as the offense sputtered.
Baker Mayfield contract details
After playing for three teams the previous two years, Mayfield signed with the Buccaneers in 2023 and helped the organization navigate a difficult post-Tom Brady transition. In March 2024, he signed a three-year, $100 million contract, which now has him ranked sixth among all quarterbacks in average annual value.
If Mayfield were to reach free agency next year, he likely would be one of the most in-demand players on the open market.
"I think I'm a franchise quarterback. I've been told I'm a franchise quarterback," Mayfield said. "It's been said publicly, from ownership down. So to not have a deal done is very disappointing. But I said the deadline is the deadline, and I addressed the team to let them know I meant that."
Mayfield reiterated that he wouldn't let his frustrations with the contract impasse fester, saying he wouldn't take any more questions about the matter now that negotiations were off.
While the Buccaneers could use the franchise tag on Mayfield after the season, the passer said he doubted the organization would opt for that designation given the financial elements in play. Beyond the sizable 2027 cap hit that it would entail, the move would also guarantee that more than $30 million in a dead cap hit would accelerate toward next year's books.
With his future unresolved, Mayfield remains resolute that his price tag will only go up.
"If you've waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, that's too bad because it's only going to get worse from here," Mayfield said. "I'm going to have a really big year."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says he feels 'disrespected' amid contract impasse