The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter 2026 training camp with Baker Mayfield set to try to lead the team back to the NFC South title after a disastrous second half of the 2025 season.

But things beyond 2026 are murky for the Bucs and their starting quarterback. Mayfield is set to become a free agent after the season, and he and the team have been unable to come to an agreement on a long-term extension to keep him in Tampa Bay.

Mayfield has offered nuggets about his thoughts on the contract situation throughout the offseason. He set a deadline to get a deal done by training camp, which starts on Tuesday. He also had a strong reaction when asked about the need to protect himself and injuries during contract negotiations, saying, “I don’t know if that should ever be a question.”

What happens if the two sides don’t reach an agreement? Either the Bucs will sign him later or he’ll walk in free agency.

But there’s a third door that could be a fallback option that could potentially work for both sides, and that’s the franchise tag after the 2026 season, as ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler noted on Sunday.

ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler mentions Bucs using franchise tag on Baker Mayfield in 2027

“Time is of the essence because the Bucs veterans report on Tuesday,” Fowler said. “Baker Mayfield is on record that he wants a new deal by training camp. If they don’t get it done, it’s sort of an artificial deadline. Maybe they can keep working at it.

“The Bucs need to make some progress here. They want to try to get something done. They are optimistic, but they’re going to have their limits. They probably won’t give him everything he wants. However, the market is eleven different quarterbacks make fifty million dollars a year. Mayfield feels like he’s outplayed some of those players. He’s got proof of concept in Tampa after three years.

“So, it’s going to take some financial concessions for Tampa to get this done. Also, Mayfield, he’s not scared of the franchise tag. If he were to play this out and they were to tag him, it would be around forty-seven, forty-eight million dollars in 2027. That could be a route. This is a guy who’s bet on himself before.”

Honestly, if the Bucs and Mayfield ended up in that position, it wouldn’t be the worst in the world to be in. Mayfield certainly showed his toughness and fought through a host of injuries last season. But it also was the first relative down season of his three in Tampa. His completion percentage (63.2), passing yards (3693) touchdown throws (26), and yards per attempt (6.8) figures were at low marks. The Bucs’ offense struggled mightily at times, and while an offense devastated by injuries was certainly a factor, Mayfield was not without fault in the unit’s struggles as well.

Having Mayfield play on the final year of his deal and tagging him for less than $50 million would give Tampa two more years of short-term control to evaluate Mayfield, while the latter still earns a big chunk of cash over two years.

We’ll find out soon enough if that avenue becomes a viable one, with Mayfield’s self-imposed deadline set to expire in less than two days.