Baker Mayfield’s comeback story has reached another major milestone.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Mayfield that will keep him in Tampa Bay through the 2029 season. The deal is reportedly worth $165 million, giving Mayfield an average salary of $55 million per year and making him the highest-paid player in Buccaneers history.
The extension is a massive change from where negotiations stood just weeks ago.
Earlier this offseason, Mayfield expressed frustration with the Buccaneers’ contract discussions, saying he felt “disrespected” and “undervalued” by the team’s offers. At one point, he indicated that he was prepared to put negotiations aside and focus on the 2026 season.
Instead, the two sides found a way to get a deal done before the season began.
Mayfield has earned the commitment after completely revitalizing his career in Tampa Bay. After bouncing around the league following his departure from Cleveland, Mayfield signed with the Buccaneers in 2023 on a one-year prove-it contract.
He turned that opportunity into a franchise-changing run.
During his first three seasons with Tampa Bay, Mayfield threw for 12,237 yards and 95 touchdowns, helping the Buccaneers win two NFC South division titles. He also earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2023 and 2024.
Now, the Buccaneers are betting that Mayfield can take them even further.
The new contract gives Tampa Bay stability at the most important position in football and allows the organization to build around Mayfield without wondering whether its quarterback will be there beyond 2026.
For Mayfield, it’s another chapter in one of the NFL’s most unlikely quarterback redemption stories.
He went from being a former No. 1 overall pick whose career appeared to be slipping away to becoming the face of the Buccaneers franchise.
Now he’s being paid like one.
The pressure will be enormous, but so will the expectations. Tampa Bay has officially made its decision: Baker Mayfield is their guy.
