For a former No. 1 overall pick, nothing has ever seemed to come easy for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The latest chapter in Mayfield’s wild NFL journey represents his dogged determination to become a top NFL quarterback after the Buccaneers fully guaranteed the final year of his contract in 2026.
Mayfield signed a 3-year, $100 million contract before the 2024 season that runs through 2026 and included $50 million in guaranteed money. That number now shoots up to $80 million guaranteed.
“Buccaneers have reworked QB Baker Mayfield’s contract to give him $30M guaranteed in 2026 — a year that previously had no guarantees, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on July 28. “The length of the contract remains the same, but Mayfield now has financial security heading into next season, which is the final year of his deal.”
Mayfield signed a 1-year, $4 million contract with Tampa Bay in March 2023 following Tom Brady’s second retirement and has played the best football of his career over the last 2 seasons, including his first 2 Pro Bowl selections and consecutive NFC South Division titles.
Social Media Reacts to Mayfield’s Payday
Mayfield’s incredible comeback story isn’t finished. If he delivers another big season in 2025 he could be in line for a new contract that makes him one of the highest paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
Social media reacted to news of Mayfield’s most recent news with what seemed like almost 100 percent positivity. That’s quite a change from 3 years ago, when the 2018 No 1 pick by the Cleveland Browns was discarded to the NFL scrap heap in a hastily put together trade with the Carolina Panthers so the Browns could sign quarterback DeShaun Watson to a fully guaranteed, 5-year, $230 million contract.
“Still hilarious that the Browns did Baker Mayfield dirty after he was their best QB in the last 25 years … ” X user @WhoDey wrote on July 28. “… and 3 years later the Browns have the worst QB room in the NFL while Baker’s balling in Tampa.”
“Much Deserved: The Bucs have reworked star QB Baker Mayfield’s contract to give him $30M guaranteed in 2026,” NFL reporter Dov Kleiman wrote on his official X account. “Baker had no guaranteed money for 2026 before this.”
“Classy move by Tampa: The #Buccaneers have reworked QB Baker Mayfield’s contract to give him $30M guaranteed in 2026,” JPA Football wrote on its official X account. “He previously had no guaranteed money and was set to hit free agency after the 2026 season. This now gives him guaranteed money on the books while they work towards a longer extension.”
ESPN Named Mayfield Top 10 in Preseason Rankings
ESPN cemented Mayfield’s status as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks in its annual position rankings, putting him at No. 10 — the only NFC South quarterback to make the list.
“The former No. 1 pick is emblematic of the NFL’s capacity for career resurgences at the game’s most important position, setting the blueprint for near busts to one day reach $100 million,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “When Mayfield signed a modest one-year deal with Tampa in 2023 and led the Bucs to the playoffs, it was a nice storyline about a former No. 1 pick regaining his footing. When he did it twice and his performance improved, that’s proof of concept. Only (Josh) Allen and (Lamar) Jackson have more touchdowns over the past two seasons than Mayfield’s 73.”
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