Baker Mayfield made his feelings about his contract clear when he told reporters last week that he was feeling “disrespected” and “undervalued” by the Buccaneers.
But with Mayfield pledging to be focused on “all ball” going forward, General Manager Jason Licht is not concerned about the state of things between the front office and the club’s quarterback.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Licht said the team still feels Mayfield is a franchise quarterback.
“Well, I’m not going to get into the specifics about the contract and all that stuff. But yeah, we think he is,” Licht said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We love Baker. Our feelings for Baker haven’t changed.”
Licht also seemed to be understanding of Mayfield’s comments from last week.
“Baker, as we all know here, is a very fiery competitor who’s not afraid to speak his mind,” Licht said, via Greg Auman of FOX Sports. “I’m sure he’s disappointed, frustrated; we were too. We’re in a good place. He’s focused on having the best year of his career.”
Mayfield is entering the last season of a three-year, $100 million deal he signed with the Bucs in March of 2024. He was offered a two-year contract extension, which did not rise to the level of him feeling valued by the organization.
Last year, Mayfield completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
