Buccaneers Weigh Mayfield Contract, Offensive Reinforcements

Buccaneers Weigh Mayfield Contract, Offensive Reinforcements

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don't know if Baker Mayfield will stay with the team beyond 2026, but general manager Jason Licht says all the Bucs' plans "revolve around Baker."

Mayfield is entering the last season of the three-year, $100 million deal that brought him to Tampa Bay, and his next contract could pay him $50-plus million a year.

Mayfield led the Bucs to an NFC South title in 2024, followed by a 2025 season that started great for both Mayfield and the Bucs (6-2), but ended up being a disaster (2-7, no playoffs).

Licht was asked about Mayfield's future in an interview on "The Drive with TKras" show on Tuesday, and his response was what one would expect.

"That's something that we'll get to at some point," Licht said. "I have had a lot of discussions with Baker about the team. We texted during the draft after some of the picks. I know he was excited about the players that we took. We have a great relationship. And listen, nobody here wants Baker to be playing for any other team, so I'll just leave it at that."

This interview took place three days after the Bucs wrapped up their 2026 draft.

Although the team mainly focused on repairing a defense that finished 20th in the league in scoring in 2025, Tampa did add to the offense around Mayfield.

Tampa drafted a receiver in the third round in Georgia State's Ted Hurst, a 6-foot-4, 206-pounder who scored 15 touchdowns over the last two seasons and gives Mayfield another weapon, particularly in the red zone, where the Bucs were 24th in touchdowns last year.

In the fifth round, the Bucs added to their offensive line depth by taking Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth.

When healthy, Licht feels the Bucs OL is as good as any unit in the league.

But the line wasn't healthy last season, and as a result, the Bucs had nine different starting offensive line combinations in 2025. At least one team legend felt it was apparent that Mayfield didn't have confidence in his offensive line, so if things go south health-wise again, Schrauth could be key.