Andrew Buller-Russ
This offseason was unique, in that a pair of former Pro Bowl quarterbacks — Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa, became available for a bargain rate of just $1.3 million. That’s a steal in the modern NFL. There was once a time when Baker Mayfield joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at a bargain rate.
Mayfield, like Murray, is a former No. 1 overall pick. Yet, there was a time when he had to go from team to team, operating like a backup before he proved himself as the Bucs’ franchise QB. Mayfield initially signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Buccaneers in 2023. Now, he’s entering the final year of a three-year, $100 million extension.
Mayfield has since become a two-time Pro Bowler with Tampa Bay, leading the team to 10-, 9-, and 8-win seasons, plus a 1-2 postseason record. He’s clearly been a key component to the Buccaneers’ success, but how much is the 31-year-old worth when it comes to contract negotiations?
Sports Illustrated‘s NFL insider, Albert Breer, recently spoke to multiple NFL agents to gather some educated insight on the situation. One agent believes that Mayfield’s starting point should be to ask for $60 million per season on his next contract.
“Anyway, the agents agreed that the baseline should be $50 million per year over the first three years of the deal, and a new-money APY (which is how most deals are publicly measured) higher than that. ‘There is very little argument Baker is worth less than 50 over the first three,’ said one agent. ‘If I’m Baker, I’m asking for 60 (per in new money),’ said another.”
SI’s Albert Breer on Baker Mayfield contract
The NFL’s highest-paid quarterback is Dak Prescott, who rakes in an average of $60 million per season. Next up is a glut of QBs, five to be exact, who all make an average of $55 million per season. They include Matthew Stafford, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen.
Right now, Mayfield makes an average of $33.5 million, but a strong case could be made that he’s severely outplayed that contract. Still, is he worth nearly double that? That’s a question the Buccaneers will have to figure out. They already couldn’t afford to keep Mike Evans this offseason. Imagine how the cap sheet would look if their QB was making over $20 million more per year?
Related: 2026 NFL QB Rankings After Aaron Rodgers Re-Joins Steelers
