The Cincinnati Bengals were ready to face a very disrespected Tampa Bay quarterback, Baker Mayfield, in Week 1 of the season. But that was then, and this is now.
Late Tuesday evening, Mayfield signed the elusive extension that he was looking for and expecting all offseason. His new $55 million per year average ties him with Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, and Matt Stafford as the third-highest-paid QB behind Patrick Mahomes and, inexplicably, Dak Prescott.
Before signing his extension, Mayfield said he felt disrespected and that he wasn’t going to negotiate a new deal this season. “Best laid plans,” as the French would say, we suppose.
But now that Mayfield’s contract desires are satisfied, the Bengals can flip the Uno reverse script on who is hunting who (Dey).
Mayfield was poised to exercise contract frustrations on Bengals
Reports from this offseason suggested that Tampa Bay wasn’t ready to give Mayfield the $50 million per year he wanted. As with his unwillingness to negotiate further this season, something obviously changed within the Bucs’ front office because they went straight to $55 million after holding out all offseason.
Mayfield was surely preparing to take out his frustrations on the Bengals in the season opener over not signing a new deal. Heading into that matchup, we were sure to get a more ornery-than-usual Mayfield, as he was certainly going to play with a boulder deserving of the Mojave Desert on his shoulder.
#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says he felt “disrespected” and “undervalued” by the contract offers he received. He believes he’s a franchise QB, says he’s going to have a big year, and that the team is going to pay for it in the end.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 30, 2026
Here’s everything Mayfield said. He was very… https://t.co/W38UH7pPPp pic.twitter.com/hq4GRZkKwU
Since Mayfield has the extension he said he wouldn't discuss after his June press conference, Cincinnati must be ready to face another type of QB, as one who is ready to prove that he deserves the largest contract in Buccaneers history.
As Mayfield now sits in the box of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, we wait to see whether we get the “upset it didn’t happen sooner” or the “prove them right” variant. For now, those two versions remain in superposition as we wait to observe how his new contract could potentially affect his play, if at all.
Either way, the Bengals must be prepared to tackle a charged-up Mayfield coming off a deal that places him among the elite of elite quarterbacks.
Bengals can immediately give Bucs buyers’ remorse
The Buccaneers will be an excellent test for Cincinnati’s new-look defense in their first game of the 2026 season. However, if they look the way that we hope, and more bluntly, expect, the Bengals could make Mayfield’s contract extension get off to a rocky start.
Most QBs and offenses were licking their chops to go against Cincinnati’s defense last year. But after multiple and significant changes, look for Al Golden’s side of the ball to go from the hunted to the hunters.
The defensive players have heard about last year’s horrific defense all offseason. However, they are tired of hearing it and ready to put it behind them, as new captain DJ Turner stated on the first day of training camp.
With vibes high in Tampa Bay and national focus now on Mayfield’s contract, which puts him on par with Joe Burrow as one of the best QBs in the league, Cincy’s defense should regard the Week 1 opposing quarterback as their first prey of 2026.
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