Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have resolved their summer contract dispute by agreeing a three-year, $165m extension on the eve of the new NFL season.

The agreement, reported by NFL Network and ESPN on Tuesday, carries an average annual value of $55m and prevents Mayfield from entering free agency following the 2026 campaign. Details of the guarantees have not yet been reported.

Mayfield had appeared destined to play out the final season of the three-year, $100m contract he signed in 2024 after negotiations failed to produce an agreement before his self-imposed training-camp deadline. The 31-year-old subsequently said he felt ‘disrespected’ and ‘undervalued’ by Tampa Bay’s proposals, one of which was reportedly a two-year extension worth slightly more than $100m. Mayfield was not opposed to a shorter deal but believed the structure and guaranteed money failed to reflect his value to the franchise.

“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,” he said in July. “I’m going to have a really good year.”

Six weeks later, the Buccaneers have returned with the $55m annual salary Mayfield had sought and an additional third year that represents a considerably stronger commitment than their earlier offer. The deal places Mayfield alongside Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love among quarterbacks earning an average of $55m per season. Only Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott currently sit above that group. It also completes the latest stage of an unlikely career revival for a player who arrived in Tampa on a one-year, $4m contract in 2023.

Mayfield had been traded by Cleveland, struggled during a brief spell with Carolina and finished the 2022 campaign as a late-season waiver acquisition by the Los Angeles Rams. The former first overall draft pick joined the Buccaneers to compete with Kyle Trask for the task of succeeding Tom Brady, with little certainty that Tampa would become a permanent home. He won the job, however, and subsequently led the Buccaneers to the divisional round of the playoffs during his first season, throwing for a then career-high 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns. Tampa rewarded that performance with a three-year agreement worth $100m, a deal that became increasingly favourable to the team as Mayfield’s production continued to rise.

He threw a career-high 41 touchdown passes in 2024 while guiding the Buccaneers back into the postseason and earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection, but last season ended less successfully. Tampa Bay began 6–2 before losing seven of its final nine games, finishing 8–9 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Mayfield threw for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, with injuries increasingly affecting him during the second half of the campaign.

He appeared on the injury report with problems involving his foot, toe, biceps, knee, oblique and both shoulders but did not miss a game. Four of Tampa Bay’s eight victories required fourth-quarter comebacks led by Mayfield, underlining both his importance to the team and the strain placed upon him as the season deteriorated.

Across three years with the Buccaneers, Mayfield has thrown for 12,237 yards and 92 touchdowns against 56 interceptions. He has delivered two division championships, two playoff appearances and a 27–24 regular season record while working under a different offensive coordinator in each campaign. That repeated disruption will continue in 2026, with Zac Robinson becoming Tampa Bay’s fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons. Mayfield must also adjust to the departure of Mike Evans, who joined San Francisco after 12 years with the Buccaneers.

The remaining offense includes Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka, while Jalen McMillan has returned to practice ahead of Sunday’s opener in Cincinnati. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will serve as Mayfield’s back-up after winning the role during the preseason.