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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has taken his frustrations with the team’s stance to contract negotiations public, hinting at tension between the two sides ahead of the 2026 NFL season. It’s possible things could get even worse next year. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters on Thursday that the team is open to using the exclusive franchise tag on Mayfield next offseason to prevent him from reaching NFL free agency. Tampa Bay would still like to work out a long-term deal with Mayfield and the franchise tag isn’t a preferred option, but it is on the table. Currently, OverTheCap.com projects the 2027 franchise tag at quarterback to be $50.308 million. When discussing contract talks he had with the club, Mayfield shared his belief that he “needed to be put in that category” of top-10 quarterbacks who make at least $50 million per season and he felt Tampa Bay’s offers disrespected him and undervalued what he did for the franchise. While the franchise tag in 2027 might give him the $50 million average annual value he is looking for next year, it’s also just a one-year deal without any money guaranteed following next season. For a player who already feels that he has proven his worth to the franchise, having to do that again when he’ll be 32 years old would likely be a new source of frustration. - Baker Mayfield stats (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 27-24 record, 66.3% completion rate, 12,237 passing yards, 95-37 TD-INT, 7.3 yards per attempt, 97.4 passer rating Mayfield certainly has a case for a long-term deal at 50-plus million dollars per season considering his on-field performance. Tampa Bay won 10 games in 2024 and likely would have won the NFC South if not for injuries. Furthermore, he has already played for the team as a full-time starter for cheap back in 2023, when he went 9-8 on a prove-it deal that only carried a 2 million dollar base salary. However, it is Mayfield’s desire to play through injuries and his durability issues that likely cause the Buccaneers some pause. There was a steep drop-off in his performance this past season when he played hurt, as evidenced by a 61.5 percent completion rate, 14-10 TD-INT line and 80.6 passer rating that resulted in a 3-8 record down the stretch. From a long-term perspective, it might be in the Buccaneers’ best interest to let Mayfield play out the final year of his contract this season and then franchise tag him in 2027 and effectively make him play things out on that one-year deal. However, for a quarterback who has tended to hold grudges and is very open with his emotions, doing so could result in further tension between the franchise and its most important player. Tap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on Google