Sources: Mayfield to play out deal with Bucs, become free agent

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is reporting to training camp without a new deal and will play out the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Mayfield and the Bucs have been engaged in contract talks for several months, with sources telling ESPN that no real progress had been made toward a new deal as of Tuesday. Mayfield had previously said he wanted an agreement in place before the start of camp or he would discontinue talks to focus on football.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN that Mayfield is looking for a deal that reflects his performance and is more in line with what quarterbacks of a similar caliber are making. He is also unfazed by the potential of being franchise-tagged in 2027, sources added.

Mayfield, who led the Bucs to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, ranks 16th among quarterbacks in average pay at $33.33 million per year. He has expressed fondness for the Buccaneers giving him an opportunity to resurrect his career as a starting quarterback, but he also believes he helped them when they needed a quarterback in the post-Tom Brady era.

Franchise tag values are not calculated until just prior to the start of free agency each year, but using the 2026 numbers as a reference point the franchise tag for quarterbacks is $43.895 million, with the transition tag coming in at $37.833 million. The franchise tag is projected to rise to roughly $50 million in 2027.

Mayfield said in June that the two sides were "not anywhere close" on a new deal, although he said it would not impact his performance.

The Bucs have historically moved at their own pace in negotiations and have not shown movement when public pressure has been applied. When former Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, who was already the franchise's all-time leading scorer, employed a similar tactic with his agent in 2023 -- saying that they would not continue negotiations once the season arrived -- the sides didn't rush to complete a deal. Instead, Evans played out the season and reached an agreement on a two-year deal in 2024.

Evans, however, is now with the San Francisco 49ers, whom he signed with in free agency in 2026, although sources close to the situation said those previous negotiations did not influence his departure.

Mayfield isn't the only Buccaneers player frustrated by not having a new deal. Nose tackle Vita Vea, a member of the franchise's Super Bowl LV-winning team, recently requested a trade. Unlike Mayfield, though -- who was a full participant in mandatory minicamp -- Vea was a minicamp hold-in, done to avoid fines and participate in classroom instruction while not risking injury.