When it comes to the battle between the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield, the fans may be naturally inclined to support the team. One of the men who block for Baker is publicly supporting the player.
On the key question of whether Mayfield is a “franchise quarterback,” Bucs guard Cody Mauch said this to reporters on Friday, via Abby DiSalvo of the Tampa Bay Times: “One hundred percent. He for sure is.”
Mauch knows Mayfield’s malcontentedness with his contract won’t affect him on the field.
“It sucks to see him go through this and whatnot, but it’s not going to change his mentality, the way he plays,” Mauch said. “He’s talked a lot about it, but he’s just going to go and play ball.”
The fact that other players are being asked about Mayfield’s contract makes it a distraction by definition. But the side issue will subside quickly.
“The biggest thing we took away from it is that we’re playing ball now,” Mauch said. “He’s not worried about contract stuff. It’s all about the 2026 Bucs.”
Come 2027, it may be all about Baker leaving the Bucs.
“It’s unfortunate, but he’s gonna go ball out and it’s gonna get made right,” Mauch said. “No doubt in my mind he’s gonna do that and get even more money, so it’s gonna work out better for him in the end.”
With the NFL evolving into a one-year-at-a-time league, it’s easier than it used to be for the players to forget about anything but this year. That’s what the Tampa Bay players should do, and Mauch has given them the key talking points for their own inevitable questions about Baker’s contract brouhaha.