Baker Mayfield showed his 2023 resurgence was no fluke, posting career-best numbers last season. The Buccaneers went through with a transaction that reveals confidence in the former No. 1 overall pick being their quarterback beyond 2025.
In an effort to create cap space, Tampa Bay has restructured Mayfield’s contract. The Bucs will save nearly $15MM with this move, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports the team’s base-to-signing bonus conversion will leave Mayfield’s 2025 cap number at $23.88MM.
The Bucs gave Mayfield a three-year, $100MM deal in 2024, keeping him off the free agent market. With Sam Darnold and now Geno Smith agreeing to new contracts, Mayfield’s $33.3MM AAV ranks 19th among QBs. Mayfield, 30 this month, secured an additional $10MM in 2025 guarantees by remaining on Tampa Bay’s roster as of Day 5 of the 2025 league year. There was never any doubt about Mayfield’s 2025 status, after his 41-touchdown pass 2024 showing, and the 2026 season comes into focus thanks to this restructure.
This transaction balloons Mayfield’s 2026 cap number to $49.38MM, per OverTheCap, and three void years appear on the contract. The move will give Mayfield some leverage as he positions himself for another raise.
While the Bucs have their starting QB under contract for two more seasons, they would now see a $31MM dead money bill if they were to cut him in 2026. A $22.35MM dead money hit would emerge if Mayfield were to depart in 2027. Though, this franchise is no stranger to such penalties after Tom Brady‘s $35MM void years-driven dead cap bill hit the team’s 2023 payroll — leading to Mayfield arriving on a low-cost accord.
Darnold’s $33.5MM-per-year Seahawks contract is team-friendlier than Mayfield’s thanks to its structure, but the less proven passer secured a higher AAV than the three-time playoff qualifier. The Bucs regularly let their players play out contracts, as Chris Godwin‘s timeline most recently showed, but they made an exception for Tristan Wirfs last summer. With this restructure strengthening the Mayfield-Bucs partnership, the sides huddling up for 2026 extension talks would make sense.
Shifting to defense in Tampa, the team’s latest Greg Gaines deal is worth $3.5MM and brings $2.25MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson adds. A former Super Bowl LVI starter, Gaines has signed the same contract (one year, $3.5MM) in three straight offseasons. Gaines joins Anthony Nelson as front-seven pieces to have re-signed with the Bucs in March.