Baker Mayfield told reporters Thursday that he felt ¡°disrespected¡± and ¡°undervalued¡± by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after ?failing to reach a contract extension by his self-imposed deadline.

Mayfield is entering the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract he signed in March 2024, with his $33.33 million annual salary ranked 16th among NFL quarterbacks.

¡°I wanted a deal done, and set the deadline, and ?told them it was going to be all ball after that. And ?I did ?mean that,¡± Mayfield said. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if they thought ?I was just going to take some of the offers that they gave.

¡°But I¡¯m at the point of my career and understanding what I brought to ?this franchise ¡ª one, I¡¯m very, very grateful for the chance they gave me, do not get ?me wrong on that. But I also really know what I¡¯ve brought to this franchise leadership-wise and even play-wise. It¡¯s been some of ?the best years of my career. ?And I think it¡¯s only going to trend upwards. Just feeling comfortable in feeling that.

¡°So, disappointing in that regard ?to not have ... to ?feel disrespected a little bit. And that¡¯s really the ?disappointing part, to feel undervalued after thinking you¡¯ve earned it.¡±

ESPN reported the ?Bucs offered ?Mayfield a two-year contract offer that didn¡¯t whet the appetite of the quarterback. Mayfield told the network the team was ¡°pretty far¡± from the $50 million average annual value he is seeking.

¡°This is not a ¡¯poor me¡¯ thing,¡± he ?said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of other people who have it way worse off. But I can sit here and look at other quarterbacks and peers, and evaluate myself based on that and put myself in certain categories that, I deserve to be compensated for that.

¡°?I ?think I¡¯m a franchise quarterback. I¡¯ve been told I¡¯m a franchise ?quarterback. It¡¯s been said publicly from ownership down, here. So to not have a ?deal done is very disappointing.¡±

Mayfield joined the team on a one-year, $4 million deal ahead of the 2023 season as the Bucs tried to fill the role of the retired Tom Brady.

Mayfield, 31, earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods ?in 2023 and 2024 while helping Tampa Bay capture consecutive division titles, though the team limped to an 8-9 record last season and missed the playoffs.

In eight NFL seasons with four teams, Mayfield has completed 63.5% of his passes for 28,525 yards, 197 touchdowns and 101 interceptions in 123 games (120 starts).