Baker Mayfield himself said that he does not believe that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his agents are close to getting an extension done. Mayfield did not get into the details of why the Bucs are not meeting his contract demands with just one year left on his current deal. However, an underdiscussed aspect might be the health of Mayfield, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Stroud wrote that the health of Mayfield concerns the Bucs, and they are not talking about him missing games. Rather, his play has not been as sharp due to playing through the injuries.
“ However, the Bucs are concerned about one element of his game he continues to neglect: his health,” wrote Stroud. “While Mayfield hasn’t missed any games since joining the Bucs, he’s been slowed by injuries.”
Nobody denies that Mayfield is one of the tougher players in the NFL. He has played through multiple injuries, and while the Bucs appreciate that, it also comes with a drawback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Need Baker Mayfield to Stay Healthy
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The hits tend to wear on Mayfield. It could shorten his career if it starts to catch up to him. He is going to be 31 years old this season, so the times that he can continue to bounce up from those hits might get lower.
Beyond that, it has already come back to bite him before. Mayfield tried to play through injuries with the Cleveland Browns back in 2021. The Browns went from 11-5 and winning a playoff game to 6-8 with Mayfield as the starter the next season. Mayfield was so bad playing through his injury that backup quarterback Case Keenum looked better than him when asked to start.
He had 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions and posted his lowest yards per game. He was so bad that the Browns went from being sure they would extend him to letting him go so that they could add Deshaun Watson to replace him.
It took Mayfield two seasons to revive his career from how bad he looked. However, he did the same thing in 2025. Mayfield started the year better than in 2021, but he finished just as poorly. He had 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions in the second half of the season.
The Bucs went 2-6 in those final eight games, and they fell out of the playoffs after a 6-3 start.
Mayfield Costs Himself Money Playing Through Injury
If you take away those 22 starts where he had 27 touchdowns to 22 interceptions, his overall stats would look significantly better. However, he decided to play through those injuries, and he cost two different teams a chance at the playoffs because of it.
The Bucs’ fear is that they will pay him, and because of that, he will play through any issues that pop up. So, they will get a diminished version who hurts the team. They would have to keep starting him due to his contract, though.
Beyond that, while he would have been great if he had sat, it is notable that in his eight-year career, he has had two seasons derailed by separate injuries. If he ends up with a season-ending injury every couple of seasons, is that much better than playing poorly through an injury?
These questions have the Buccaneers more hesitant than some expect at this point.
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