Baker Mayfield hits back at Bucs head coach as team could gamble on rookie amid contract stall

Jun 17, 2026 - 16:15

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t appear to be fully 100 percent committed to Baker Mayfield for the long-haul.

Reports emerged earlier in June that the veteran quarterback and the Bucs were far apart in ongoing contract extension negotiations.

Mayfield has made it clear he wants to stay in Tampa Bay for the long-term

Now, the Bucs’ stance as to why not appears to be more evident.

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs are concerned over Mayfield’s ability – or lack thereof – to protect his own health when battling out on the field.

The 31-year-old has dealt with nagging injuries for much of his career, albeit often playing through them, some of which could have been avoided had he made different on-field decisions, such as getting rid of the ball, going down or out of bounds.

“The thing that will get us to the Super Bowl with him [Mayfield] — obviously everybody has got to stay healthy — but the main thing is not turning the ball over and sometimes checking it down and understanding when he gets out of the pocket — he makes some great scrambles — but understanding how to get down and putting himself out of harm’s way,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said.

“No, he’s not going to miss any games, but he can take a little bit better care of himself in certain situations. I understand when he’s a yard and a half or 2 from a first down, but not when it’s 10 yards or 8 yards from the first down when he can get up and live another day.

“Unless it’s fourth and 10 in Houston and the game is on the line, and I understand why he’s doing those types of things. But if we can take care of that, we’ll be fine.”

“It’s doable, because you get older every year, and he sees it and he understands some things and, obviously, the turnovers is for everybody on offense,” Bowles added.

“But getting down, he can do a little bit better job. I’m not saying all of them, but there are two or three where he’d like to have back where he can get down and not hurt himself.”

The quarterback has since pushed back on the comments made by his head coach.

“I’ve started every single game last year — for the three years. So I don’t know if that should ever be a question,” Mayfield said.

Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stands on the sidelines with his arms crossed — Todd Bowles revealed that the team want Mayfield to look after himself more

Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 20, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. — Mayfield fired back at his head coach’s recent comments

In those three seasons starting under center in Florida, Mayfield has completed 66.43 percent of his passes for 12,237 yards and 95 touchdowns to 37 interceptions, revitalizing his career after brief stints with the Carolina Panthers and LA Rams following his trade from the Cleveland Browns.

Bucs could gamble on rookie QB

While he and Tampa Bay are currently at a standstill over an extension, with the former No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick entering the final year of his three-year, $100 million deal inked back in 2024, Bucs general manager Jason Licht is adamant that a deal can ultimately be struck.

“I have no concerns about that,” Licht said. “I’ve talked to him about that. He’s in a very good place right now. He just wants to win. He’s a pro’s pro. We have all the respect in the world. I do, personally. I know everybody here does.

“He’s going to ball. He’s going to ball no matter. We’ll continue to have discussions and try to get to a closure. But one thing I know, personally, I can lay down at night and know he’s going to play his a**off this year.”

But in the rare chance that the organization can’t come to terms on an extension, the Bucs could yet take a gamble on signing Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft.

The former Indiana and Cincinnati quarterback was considered a first-round pick, until he was declared ineligible by the NCAA after news emerged that he had placed thousands of bets, of which some involved his own team.

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby #2) throws a pass during the college football game between the TCU Horned Frogs and Cincinnati Bearcats on November 29, 2025 — The Buccaneers could be keeping an eye on Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft

Despite entering a gambling addition program and going through a lengthy court process filing against the NCAA in which he eventually won the rights to play a season for the Texas Tech Red Raiders after joining them as the No. 1 play in the 2026 transfer portal, the 22-year-old opted to enter the NFL’s supplement draft instead.

He could ultimately wind up being a low-risk, high-reward pick for whomever drafts him in July due to his extremely high upside.

“Sorsby has the talent to be a starting-caliber signal-caller early in his career. He has the kind of arm power, accuracy and mobility — he also ran for 616 yards and nine scores last season — that is highly intriguing for pro teams,” NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid wrote on Monday.

For the Buccaneers in particular, he would also be a far cheaper option than Mayfield, who is seeking an extension worth north of $50 million annually.

“If the Buccaneers are actually thinking about moving on from Mayfield at the conclusion of the 2026 campaign, it would benefit them to have an in-house succession plan. Spending a mid-round supplemental pick on Sorsby could be the solution,” Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo said.

Whether they are willing to take the plunge on drafting Sorsby, and/or force Mayfield to play through the final year of his contract and risk losing him for nothing next season, though, remains to be seen.

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