Baker Mayfield is determined for contract negotiations not to drag into the season and may be about to get his wish.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback’s last update suggested he and the team were ‘not close’ in negotiations so far.
But NFL insider Albert Breer’s offseason review painted a rosier picture.
“The Buccaneers are prepared to dive in on negotiations this week, with the first day of practice set for a week from Wednesday,” he said.
“I think they’ll get something done before Week 1. This isn’t overly complicated.
“Mayfield is due to make $40 million this year, the final year of the three-year, $100 million deal he and the Bucs agreed to. So he doesn’t have to overextend himself to get a contract.”
Breer thinks Mayfield is looking at a deal in the region of $165 million over three years.
That works out at $55 million annually — just over Spotrac’s predicted market valuation of $214.4 million over four years.
“The franchise tag for quarterbacks projects to just over $50 million for 2027, meaning two tags would be just north of $110 million total,” wrote Breer for Sports Illustrated. “That sets the APY at $55 million per year, which is right around where Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love are.
“So something in the range of $165 million over another three years makes sense, or a little more than that to account for inflation over the aforementioned deals.”
$55 million would match the annual terms of Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, who may be on the phone to their agents soon as the market continues to explode at QB.
Patrick Mahomes leads the way on $64 million.
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Lamar Jackson in line for extenstion
One man who will be keeping a close eye on negotiations is Lamar Jackson’s agent, who just so happens to be the quarterback himself.
The two-time MVP is set to hit free agency in 2028 and holds all the cards thanks to a no-tag clause.
Jackson will earn $104 million over the next two seasons and is due a massive extension.
The Ravens would be wise to get the ball rolling before any more massive contracts land.
Breer thinks that Jackson may fancy testing the waters elsewhere.
“And my sense is the Ravens are ready to explore extending Jackson well into his 30s,” he said. “But Jackson has to be ready to do that, too.
“And the idea, with a no-tag clause in his contract, of hitting free agency in 2028 at 31 years old could be enticing to him.”
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Why hasn’t Fernando Mendoza signed with the Raiders?
Quarterbacks carry a lot of power in negotiations as there simply aren’t enough players capable of carrying a franchise on their back.
Even the top four rookie draft picks are yet to sign, despite the wage scale already being agreed.
Fernando Mendoza & Co will be going over the final details before putting pen to paper, but a holdout is extremely unlikely.
