Baker Mayfield used the word “disrespected” and phrases such as “very disappointed to say the least” and “undervalued after thinking you’ve earned it,” so it’s pretty obvious the team’s starting quarterback is not thrilled about how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handled his recent contract negotiations.
Those negotiations have ended now. Mayfield imposed a start-of-training-camp deadline to bring them to a close and he’s sticking to it.
But the weeks of negotiations and offers the Bucs made before the deadline have left him in an unhappy place. And that’s not a good place for any player, much less the team’s starting quarterback, to be to start training camp.
BAKER MAYFIELD’S SELF-IMPOSED CONTRACT DEADLINE ARRIVES AS BUCCANEERS AND QUARTERBACK FAIL TO AGREE ON DEAL
“It’s disappointing in the regard to have, you know, to feel disrespected a little bit,” Mayfield told reporters. “And, um, that’s really the disappointing part to feel undervalued after, you know, thinking you’ve earned it.
“This is not a poor-me thing. There’s a lot other people that 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.
“And 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. And so to not have a deal done is very disappointing.”
Mayfield told ESPN the Bucs didn’t offer anything beyond a two-year deal. He actually wanted a longer-term deal that would have kept him in Tampa into his mid-30s.
There are currently 10 NFL quarterbacks who make between $51 million and $55 million per season on an annual average basis. Mayfield wants to be part of that group.
Mayfield instead will collect up to $28 million in the final year of his three-year deal that averaged $33.3 million per season.
The quarterback and the team have agreed not to discuss the contract situation again this season, in part, because of Mayfield’s deadline. But anyone who knows Mayfield knows him not talking about it and not thinking about it are two different things.
He’s going to think about how he feels he’s been treated.
“It’s disappointing when you think you’re the cornerstone of the franchise to be treated like that,” he admitted.
He’s going to feel free to take shots at the club if he feels the need. He did exactly that on Thursday, criticizing how the Bucs have historically handled negotiations with other players including Mike Evans and Tristan Wirfs, and are currently dealing with Vita Vea, who has requested a trade.
And Mayfield is going to use all that as fuel and motivation to have an outstanding year. If he has that kind of season, he’s obviously going to command more than what he was expecting in the just concluded negotiations.
“If you waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, that’s too bad because it’s only going to get worse from here,” he said, as if announcing to the team what would happen in future talks.
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Mayfield addressed his teammates about his contract talks. Yeah, this is a locker room issue now even as Mayfield promised he’s done talking about money.
“I addressed the team to let them know … It’s all ball with these guys,” he vowed. “I think all the guys that have been here know exactly who I am. The guys that haven’t been here I wanted to address that because they might have 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 loves Tampa. He has said numerous times he’d love to raise his family there.
It doesn’t escape scrutiny in the context of his current feelings and contract situation that on Thursday he called it, “home for now.”
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