After leading the Buccaneers to the divisional round of the playoffs last season, quarterback Baker Mayfield has begun negotiating with the team to remain in Tampa Bay.
Mayfield, who was playing on a one-year contract in 2023, is slated to hit unrestricted free agency in March unless the Buccaneers sign him to a long-term contract or franchise him. The Buccaneers’ franchise tag appears more likely to go to cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr., which would mean they need to get a deal with Mayfield done before free agency opens on March 13 or risk another team signing him away.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Bucs and Mayfield have had preliminary talks about a new contract, and General Manager Jason Licht is expected to meet with Mayfield’s agent, Tom Mills, next week at the Scouting Combine.
Both the team and Mayfield have indicated that they’d like to get a deal done to stay together. That makes sense, as Mayfield played well for the Buccaneers in their first year post-Tom Brady, and the Bucs provided a stable home for Mayfield in 2023 after he bounced from Cleveland to Carolina to Los Angeles in 2022.
