Breer: Bucs dive in to negotiations with Baker

This comes from a post that Buccaneers beat writer Rick Stroud wrote after having a chance to watch the series. In addition to the knee injuries, Stroud notes that Mayfield also had a “bad biceps contusion” that affected his velocity, in addition to the left shoulder injury he suffered in Week 12 against the Rams. Hopefully a healthy offseason and a chance to fully rehab these injuries will go a long way in Mayfield having a bounce back season after he was visibly struggling during various points of last season. The 31-year-old QB is entering the final year of his deal with the Buccaneers, and while he has expressed interest in signing a long-term extension, recent reports suggest he and the Bucs are nowhere near an agreement on a new contract.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on this one,” Garafolo continued. “The Bucs are in no rush.” All outward projections have been that Mayfield and the Buccaneers will eventually find a middle ground, and Todd Bowles recently said that there’s “absolutely no question” he wants Mayfield as his quarterback for a long term. But it does seem like the two sides have very different dollar values attached to Mayfield and that this might be something that simmers into training camp.

Bowles praised his quarterback on Thursday in a media interview, calling Mayfield “a true pro” and expressing confidence that the two sides can come together on another contract extension. Mayfield is in the final year of a three-year, $100 million extension he signed in 2024 and is in the midst of negotiations for another deal before training camp begins. Mayfield has already gone on record saying he will not continue discussions once training camp starts, giving the two sides a little over a month to hammer out a deal. Bowles and Mayfield are entering their fourth season together and have enjoyed some success, with Mayfield going 27-24 as a starter while also leading the team to two postseason berths. Mayfield said last week that negotiations were “not anywhere close” to the deal he is seeking, suggesting there’s a lot of work to be done before a deal is reached.

Mayfield is in the final year of the three-year, $100 million extension he signed with the Buccaneers in 2024 and is seeking another long-term deal to remain with the team. Speaking on Friday, Mayfield said that while negotiations are currently ongoing, that he will stop those talks once training camp starts up, putting somewhat of a deadline on when a new deal could be reached. The 31-year-old signal-caller is entering his first season without Mike Evans, and is coming off a year in which he threw for 3,693-26-11 in 17 games. Mayfield is just two years removed from throwing for a career-high 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, but a lot has changed since then between the loss of Evans and former OC Liam Coen. We’ll see if a new deal is reached before camp, or if Mayfield will be positioned to play out 2026 in a contract year in hopes of earning a lucrative pay day next offseason.

Mayfield is in the final year of his three-year, $100 million extension signed in 2024 and has a $39.975 million cap figure. His play down the stretch was rough, but he also was clearly laboring through injuries. Mayfield, entering his age-31 season, is probably destined for an interesting negotiation as a quarterback who clearly isn’t in line with the league’s elite, but also a quarterback who deserves a premium contract compared to the league’s stop-gaps and bounce back candidates.

Bucs officials met with Evans’ representation at the NFL Combine and appear ready to make an all-out push to bring back the veteran for 2026. Evans, entering his age-33 season, said this month he would return for a 13th NFL season, but declined to say where he might play. Evans in 2025 struggled through injuries, including a collar bones injury, catching 30 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns while missing nine games. He posted the second lowest receiving success rate of his storied NFL career. Evans would be a good fit for multiple contenders, including the wideout-needy Patriots and Bills.

Robinson joined Atlanta two years ago when the team hired Raheem Morris as their head coach. He had previously worked under Sean McVay for five years, working his way up to pass game coordinator for the final two. Robinson started off strong, getting Atlanta to 13th in points scored despite Kirk Cousins struggling in his first year as a Falcon. The switch to Michael Penix in 2025 didn’t go as planned and the team cratered to 24th in scoring. The hope for Baker Mayfield and company will be that Robinson was simply dealt a bad hand in Atlanta. The hiring bodes particularly well for Bucky Irving. Atlanta ranked top-10 in rushing yards in both of Robinson’s seasons with the team.

Mayfield threw one atrocious interception that led to a Panthers’ touchdown, but outside of that avoided mistakes. The 30-year-old signal-caller’s touchdown pass came to Cade Otton on Tampa Bay’s first drive in the must-win game. Mayfield will need a Saints’ win over the Falcons to move on to the postseason, but he did enough to keep the Bucs alive for at least one more day.

Mayfield practiced fully on Thursday and Friday while nursing injuries in his knee and throwing shoulder. The Buccaneers have a chance to make the playoffs, though they require a loss from the Falcons in order to do so. Mayfield is borderline QB1/2 for Week 18.

Mayfield is dealing with an injury in his throwing shoulder. The Buccaneers’ quarterback regularly plays through injuries, though. We expect him to be on the field when his team takes on the Panthers in Week 18, though he can only be viewed as a borderline QB1/2.