Baker Mayfield feeling "disrespected," "undervalued" by Buccaneers

In a frank press conference on Thursday morning, quarterback Baker Mayfield said he feels disrespected by the Buccaneers after his imposed deadline passed without receiving a new contract. Mayfield laid out his issues with the franchise, but also left the door open to getting something done before the season if the club can work out an agreement with his agent. But given Mayfield’s comments on Thursday, any agreement between the two sides feels unlikely. “I wanted a deal done, and set the deadline, and told them it was going to be all ball after that. And I did mean that,” Mayfield said. “And I don’t know if they thought I was just going to take some of the offers that they gave. But I’m at the point of my career and understanding what I brought to this franchise — one, I’m very, very grateful for the chance they gave me, do not get me wrong on that. But I also really know what I’ve brought to this franchise leadership-wise and even play-wise. It’s been some of the best years of my career. And I think it’s only going to trend upwards. Just feeling comfortable in feeling that. “So, disappointing in that regard to not have…to feel disrespected a little bit. And that’s really the disappointing part, to feel undervalued after thinking you’ve earned it.” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports the Buccaneers offered Mayfield a two-year deal, which disappointed the QB. Mayfield told Fowler the Bucs were “pretty far” from a $50 million average annual value in the offer. Since Mayfield arrived in 2023, he’s started every game for the franchise with a pair of postseason appearances. The club beat the Eagles in the 2023 postseason, but lost to Detroit in the divisional round before falling to Washington in the wild card round of the 2024 postseason. The team missed the playoffs in 2025.Overall, the Bucs have gone 27-24 in the regular season with Mayfield at QB over the last three seasons.“This is not a ‘poor me’ thing,” Mayfield said. “There’s a lot of other people who have it way worse off. But I can sit here and look at other quarterbacks and peers, and evaluate myself based on that and put myself in certain categories that, I deserve to be compensated for that. I think I’m a franchise quarterback. I’ve been told I’m a franchise quarterback. It’s been said publicly from ownership down, here. So to not have a deal done is very disappointing.“But I said, the deadline was the deadline. I addressed the team to let them know I meant that. It’s all ball. I’m with these guys. I think all the guys that have been here know exactly who I am. The guys that are new here, I wanted to address that because they might’ve had a notion prior to coming here about who I am as a person. But it’s all team. It’s all about winning here now and what we’re going to do.”Mayfield noted that part of the reason for his start-of-camp deadline was to avoid the contract becoming a distraction.“Yeah, like I’ve told you guys, it’s all ball. I don’t want to talk about it,” Mayfield said, also noting that he’s not going to answer questions about the contract after Thursday. “And if you’ve waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, that’s too bad, because it’s only going to get worse from here. I’m going to have a really good year.”But there is a chance the Bucs and Mayfield can put all of this behind them for an extension.“They’re not talking to me, I know that,” Mayfield said. “If my agent answers it, he’s not going to bother me with it unless it’s actually recognized for my value.”So that’s the opportunity. As for the future, Mayfield doesn’t see the Bucs tagging him next offseason (“There’d be a lot of dead money,” he said), but does anticipate their offer going up after a successful season.“Obviously, yes,” Mayfield said. “But, I’ve been on the other side of the nasty business that is the NFL. And so, yeah, I have hope. But expecting and hoping [are] two different things. Yeah, I hope so. But all I can control is how I play this year and how the team does this year. And, for me, that’s wins. Good things happen when the team wins. The rest should take care of itself.“I think if I hadn’t gone through a couple of different situations earlier on in my career, I’d probably be in a different head space,” Mayfield added. “It also helps being a little bit more mature now, and having different priorities in life. But, yeah, I’m at peace. I think what I’ve done here is my resume and I think it spoke for itself. And so, if that’s not recognized, that’s OK. I’m just going to continue to add to it.”Despite feeling disrespected, Mayfield noted that the potential for more money isn’t his driving motivating factor.“No. Money should never be the motivation in football,” Mayfield said. “It’s, how do I help this team win? That’s never going to be the motivation for me. When it comes to having a chip on your shoulder and all that, for me, it just puts me in the mindset of betting on myself. And that’s something I’m pretty familiar with. And it’s a good place to be. As a high-competitive guy, sometimes you have to put yourself backed into a corner and fight your way out. But I have a lot of guys and a lot of staff around me that are with me. So, I’m not alone in it. We’re fighting for the same goal, and that’s to be playing in February.”And at this point, Mayfield says it’s “really easy” to just focus on getting prepared for the upcoming regular season.“When you’re not presented with an offer that’s appealing whatsoever, it’s easy to turn the page,” Mayfield said. “But also, it’s that time of the year where you’re itching to get on the field. You’re itching to see how this team comes together, how the offense comes together in a new system with a new coach. It’s just the exciting time of year that, on paper, we’ve got a lot of potential. But it’s just potential.“So, we know we have to put that all together. So, yeah, it’s easy to put that in the past when you’re coming together with a great group like this.”