Baker Mayfield’s take on his contract situation was the juiciest bit of information to come out of his first media session of the offseason, but he also had a chance to weigh in on a significant change to the team’s receiving corps.
Mike Evans left for the 49ers as a free agent and Mayfield said that there’s no way to sugarcoat that it is “disappointing to not have him back” for the 2026 season. Mayfield then pivoted to praising Chris Godwin’s leadership of a receiving corps and expressing confidence in a group that also includes Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and third-round pick Ted Hurst.
“To also have J-Mac, Chris and Emeka really, really healthy right now, feeling good — to lead those guys and just to watch the steps from Year 1 to Year 2 when it comes to Meck and Tez and watching them help Ted Hurst out as well,” Mayfield said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “There’s a lot of weapons in that room. And so when you lose a guy like that, you got to have a lot of people fill those shoes, not just one person and we have that.”
If the Bucs don’t sign Mayfield to an extension ahead of the season, his performance with that group of wideouts will likely determine whether there’s an appetite for continuing the relationship in Tampa. If that appetite does not develop, the Bucs could be looking at another significant change next offseason.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is entering the final year of his contract.
He has re-established himself as a starting quarterback, having played every game for the Buccaneers over the last three years, leading the team to a pair of division titles.
But what of the future?
Mayfield told reporters on Friday that negotiations with the Buccaneers are ongoing. But they aren’t necessarily going to his liking.
“First and foremost, regardless, we’ve built roots here in Tampa. We love the community, we love being here. They’ve embraced us. We enjoy being here and, obviously, are going to raise kids here,” Mayfield said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “But the contract stuff, it’s happening, it’s starting — talks and whatnot. But, not anywhere close to what we were thinking. So, would love to be here long-term, and as of right now, that’s not exactly the case. But I’m under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room, the staff know that I’m still going to be me — I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me, that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself.
“Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done. But, they know my deadline — as soon as training camp starts, we’re not doing [anymore] contract stuff. It’s all ball. So, it’s not up to me when that gets done by. So, hopefully before that. If not, we’re still going to have a good year.”
Mayfield’s last deal was for three years and $100 million, putting him at an average annual value of $33.3 million. He’s currently set to count $39.975 million against the cap in 2026.
With offseason programs coming to an end, it stands to reason that the Buccaneers will try to work out a new deal with Mayfield and his representation over the coming weeks — particularly if Mayfield has a hard deadline of the start of training camp.
In 2024, 49ers receiver Mike Evans set a record in Tampa by becoming the first player with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career. That also tied the all-time record for consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, with Jerry Rice.
Injuries kept Evans from breaking the record in his twelfth and final season with the Buccaneers.
“Oh, it was super disappointing,” Evans told reporters on Thursday, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I’m extremely competitive and for me to not break that record, I thought I was going to be able to break it easy — how hungry I was going into that season.”
Injuries limited him to eight games in 2025 and 382 receiving yards. He could, in theory, still catch or pass Rice’s all-time record of 14 career 1,000-yard seasons.
“You know, in life, some things, it’s not going to go your way,” Evans said. “But I look at that injury as a blessing in disguise, because I’m feeling really fresh, feeling rejuvenated. I’m in a new spot, new change like I felt I needed. And I’m looking forward to get back.”
A first-round pick in 2014, Evans turns 33 in August. The question moving forward will be whether he can continue to perform at a high level, and ultimately for how long.
The Browns signed free agent defensive end Benton Whitley, the team announced on Thursday.
Whitley is officially in his third NFL season out of Holy Cross.
In 2025, he spent time on the Buccaneers’ practice squad but did not play a regular-season game.
The Rams originally signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and he spent time on their practice squad as a rookie.
He also has had stints with the Chiefs, Vikings and Giants.
Whitley, 27, has played six career games and has totaled a pass defensed and a fumble recovery. He has seen action on 16 defensive snaps and 74 on special teams in his career.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Rays are hoping to strike stadium deals. And there are only so many taxpayer dollars to go around.
Via Emma Behrmann of the Tampa Business Journal, the Tampa Sports Authority plans to inform both Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa that the renovation to Raymond James Stadium “should be prioritized” over a new stadium for the Rays.
The Bucs want a renovation that will cost roughly $1 billion. The Rays want $976 million from the county and the city to help build a new stadium.
The TSA has concerns, as it should, regarding the available funds for the two major-league teams.
That puts the local NFL and MLB teams in direct competition for a finite number of dollars. Every public dollar that goes to one project becomes one less dollar that can go to the other project.
Obviously, the NFL is king. Although there are far fewer home games (10 vs. 81), having an NFL team generally means more than having an MLB team.
Not that either team has suggested the possibility of relocating. But we’ve seen this movie before. If teams can’t get what they want in their current market, they start looking around for a market that will foot the bill.
