Should I Start Baker Mayfield?

Friday, June 5, 9:23 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said that current contract talks "are not anywhere close to what we were thinking," but he's "gonna do everything he can to help his team win a Super Bowl," according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Mayfield wants to stay in Tampa long term, but he doesn't want to focus on negotiations once training camp hits at the end of July. The 31-year-old veteran is entering the final year of a three-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2024, and his fantasy stock is on the decline due to mounting nagging injuries and the fact that he lost future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans to free agency this offseason. Mayfield finished as the QB12 in fantasy in 2025, throwing for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 starts in his third year with the Bucs. It was a big dropoff after Mayfield threw for a career-high 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and a league-leading 16 picks in 17 starts in 2024 to earn his second Pro Bowl berth. The Bucs still have weapons around him, but fantasy managers should be pegging Mayfield as more of a high-end QB2 than a surefire QB1 as he enters what could be his final season in Tampa.