The Pittsburgh Steelers went with the short-term answer again behind center with one more year of Aaron Rodgers in 2026. They do have very young options on the depth chart behind Rodgers, but few pundits appear to believe Will Howard or Drew Allar is the likely answer. Could bringing in Baker Mayfield be a possibility?
CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo didn’t rule it out. In fact, DeArdo included the Steelers on a list of six teams who could pursue Mayfield if he’s available before next season.
“Mike McCarthy is determined to find Pittsburgh’s next franchise quarterback, and the Steelers currently have two promising young quarterbacks in Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar,” wrote DeArdo.
“That said, Pittsburgh can’t be ruled out because its 2026 starter, Aaron Rodgers, plans to retire after this season, and the Steelers don’t have a proven quarterback behind him outside of Mason Rudolph, who has spent his career as a backup.”
Rumors about Mayfield leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started to swirl at the start of training camp because the quarterback said he felt “disrespected” by the team’s contract extension offer.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported sources told Jeremy Fowler that Tampa Bay’s offer was a 2-year deal worth $100 million.
The Cleveland Browns selected Mayfield at No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Over eight seasons, Mayfield owns a 58-62 record as a starter with 197 touchdown passes and 101 interceptions.
Baker Mayfield-Buccaneers Have Strained Relationship?
GettyQuarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be heading toward a divorce after the 2026 NFL season.
There’s a long way to go until 2027 NFL free agency. In March, Mayfield will become a free agent.
But it appears the signal-caller will play out his current deal, which is very unusual for a franchise quarterback.
Laine reported the Buccaneers are adamant they made competitive offers. Mayfield, though, wants an extension longer than two years according to ESPN.
The quarterback spoke to reporters at training camp about his contract situation.
“It’s disappointing. I’m not the first one to go through it like this. This is kind of historically how they’ve done negotiations. It’s disappointing when you think you’re a cornerstone of the franchise to be treated like that,” said Mayfield, via Laine. “But disappointing, I know the contract and salary cap, what’s going on. Franchise tag isn’t exactly in play for them. There’d be a lot of dead money.
“So it is what it is. And like I said, I’m fortunate, but on the side — I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, in a really good place.”
On Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Buccaneers didn’t like how Mayfield addressed the situation publicly and called out the organization.
Is the relationship beyond repair? Probably not. Winning solves a lot of issues.
But if the Buccaneers don’t return to the top of the NFC South, it wouldn’t be surprising if Mayfield and the team have had enough of each other by January.
Could Steelers Pursue Mayfield in NFL Free Agency?
GettyCBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo included general manager Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers on a list of potential destinations for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Of the six teams he mentioned, DeArdo called the Steelers the least-likely Mayfield suitor. DeArdo, though, devised a scenario of how the quarterback could land in Pittsburgh.
“If nothing else, the Steelers could sign Mayfield to compete with either Howard or Allar,” DeArdo wrote. “In that scenario, Pittsburgh probably wouldn’t offer Mayfield a long-term contract, meaning he would have to bet on himself once again.”
After the disagreements over the Buccaneers contract offer, though, it doesn’t seem likely Mayfield will agree to a “prove it” deal. Furthermore, in DeArdo’s scenario, Mayfield isn’t even guaranteed to start.
The Buccaneers quarterback will have to play pretty poorly in 2026 to lower his market and not be classified a starter entering free agency. If that’s the case, then there could be questions on whether the Steelers should even pursue him.
Last season, Mayfield completed 63.2% of his passes with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He averaged 6.8 yards per attempt.
During 2024, he had 4,500 passing yards with 41 touchdowns, averaging 7.9 yards per pass. Mayfield also led the league with 16 interceptions that season but made the Pro Bowl. Mayfield made the Pro Bowl in 2023 as well.
He has won at least eight games as a starter in all three of his Buccaneers seasons.
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