Team news: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Page 1

Apparently, Baker Mayfield is no longer feeling disrespected.

According to a joint report from NFL Network and ESPN, Mayfield and the Buccaneers have agreed to a three-year extension, putting him under contract through the 2029 season.

The deal is reportedly worth $165 million, which works out to $55 million a year, the story said. Mayfield had cut off extension talks at the beginning of training camp, telling reporters at the time that he had felt disrespected by the Bucs’ offer to him. But he also kept the door open to his agent potentially still talking numbers with the team, the story said. Those who follow the team reported things weren't as bad between the two sides as many thought, however. The story added Mike Garafolo reported the two sides weren't that far apart at the start of camp. From a fantasy perspective, Mayfield enters this season ranked 18th among our QBs, making for a lower-end QB2 option.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters last week that receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan were “headed in the right direction” as they deal with their respective injuries.

Both players took a step forward to start the week.

According to multiple reporters on the scene, Egbuka and McMillan both returned to practice on Monday — a positive sign for their Week 1 availability.

Related players: Chris Godwin, Tez Johnson, Ted Hurst

Egbuka has been dealing with a toe injury, while McMillan has a knee injury. It makes for a big impact on the Bucs WR depth chart as Egbuka is considered the team's WR1 and McMillan is in the mix for the WR3 spot with Johnson and the rookie Hurst, who is coming off a great camp and offseason.

Ted Hurst III has progressed from a future-focused prospect into a player expected to have a role this year

Related players: Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson

Jason Licht was quoted in the story as saying Hurst has proven himself throughout camp and OTAs. Once thought of as a future prospect, the Bucs now believe they can use him this season, and he's going to play a role. Hurst has had a very positive summer when it comes to press. He was only a later-round option in dynasty leagues this past spring, and while he still may be off the radar in typical redraft leagues, it's easy to see how he can earn some time behind Egbuka and Godwin this season.

Emeka Egbuka traveled to Jacksonville with the team this week but is resting his toe injury. I’d be surprised if we see him next week. Focus is on having him back for Week 1 vs. Bengals.

Related Players: Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, Ted Hurst

Tampa Bay appears to be deliberately preserving Egbuka for Week 1, but his prolonged absence adds some draft-day uncertainty. The previous favorable diagnosis prevents an aggressive downgrade, though his participation in team drills will be important next week. Godwin would receive the clearest target boost if Egbuka is unavailable or limited, while Johnson, Hurst, and the Buccaneers’ other depth receivers could receive additional reps.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst has been the silver lining of the offense’s joint practice against the Jaguars so far this morning.

Related players: Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan

According to the post, Hurst had a big touchdown catch and a couple of nice grabs. Slivon added Hurst is making the most of his chances on the first-team with no Egbuka or McMillan. This isn't the first report we've had on Hurst this summer. Hurst was a later-round option in dynasty league drafts this offseason, but his value seems to be going up. He'll likely be capped as the team's WR3 when everyone is healthy, but the Buc WRs have had their share of injuries over the past year. Hurst is a name to keep track of leading up to drafts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Monday that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the Bucs' first-round draft pick in 2025, is "day-to-day, week-to-week" with a toe sprain suffered during joint practices at the New York Jets last week.

Bowles also said wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who has missed almost two full weeks of practice with what the coach described as a "banged-up knee," is still "day-to-day, week-to-week as well."

Related players: Chris Godwin, Tez Johnson, Ted Hurst, Kameron Johnson

Bowles added that he's "not sure at this time" if the situation will impact Egbuka's availability for Week 1. With Mike Evans now on the San Francisco 49ers, Egbuka, who is lining up primarily as a Z receiver, is expected to get a large number of targets in 2026. The story didn't specifically say, but the same assumption probably goes for McMillan as well, and his Week 1 status. The injuries could benefit rookie Hurst, who was already having a good camp according to reports.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka limped off with athletic trainers. Was examined on the sideline table for a while. Hard to see exactly what’s up from where we are but he’s still on the table and hasn’t returned.

Related Players: Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, Cade Otton

Garafolo later followed up that, "Egbuka, with both cleats off, just walked back to the sideline to watch the rest of practice." Considering he came back out to the sideline without help, we shouldn't put a ton of stock in a significant injury. For now, he remains a fringe WR2/3 unless we hear something more dire here.

Baker Mayfield tells ESPN the Bucs offered him a two-year deal, which was ‘probably the most disappointing’ part. Wanted long-term commitment.

Added Bucs were ‘pretty far’ from $50+M per club, which he wanted to enter.

Related Players: Jake Browning

It's becoming more and more likely that Mayfield hits the open market post-2026, which adds an intriguing wrinkle to his Dynasty outlook. As for this season, he's still behind a great offensive line, with a nice WR room, which makes him a viable QB2 or a great streaming option, should he go undrafted.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is reporting to training camp without a new deal in hand.

Sources told ESPN that Mayfield and his agent have not made significant progress with the Bucs on a new contract. A deal is largely not expected by the start of the Bucs' first camp practice on July 29, but there is still time to sort through it and potentially reach a deal, sources added.

As the story said, Mayfield has one year remaining on his contract, which will expire at the end of the 2026 regular season. Sources close to the situation have said that he would like a deal that reflects his performance and is more in line with what quarterbacks of a similar caliber are making, which includes leading the Bucs to two straight playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.

Liam Coen’s offense, which is loaded with principles from his four seasons with Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, was always going to take time to implement with the Jaguars. Before the season, a source with knowledge of the system predicted it would take at least half the year before Trevor Lawrence felt comfortable, and that his trajectory might not truly begin to soar until 2026. Considering Coen’s success in 2024 with quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the impression he left with two seasons at Kentucky, there was confidence Lawrence’s progress would be worth the wait.

The author pointed out the trend up may carry right through 2026 before we see the final result. It will be worth nothing for fantasy owners who may already be looking ahead to next season's draft rankings. Lawrence is very likely to climb QB ranks heading into drafts next summer. The story pointed out the trade for Jakobi Meyers and the return of TE Brenton Strange has helped everyone in the offense, even Brian Thomas Jr. who has mostly struggled this season. While the Jags are not dominating the run game, the author said the commitment to the run and the balance have helped the offense. Lawrence is also being used as a designed runner.