Vea is entering the ninth season of his NFL career, all with the Bucs, and the final season of his four-year, $71 million contract. Mayfield, meanwhile, is entering the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract.
Mayfield, 31, has made a pair of Pro Bowls in his three seasons with the Bucs, and while he’s coming off his worst season statistically yet with Tampa Bay, he’s only 16 years old.i.e in average annual salary among QBs at $33.3 million. Twelve of the quarterbacks above him make at least $51 million annually.
In early June, Mayfield went on record as saying his agent and the franchise were “not close” to a new deal. Mayfield believed the parties would need to find “middle ground” later in June, an area the factions have yet to discover as July gets underway.
Garafolo emphasized Monday that Mayfield and the Buccaneers are still not close to an extension, but there is confidence that it will work out.
Vea’s contract may have been affected by Jeffery Simmons’ recent extension with the Tennessee Titans, a three-year, $105.8 million signing that reset the market for interior defensive linemen. Vea is 19, or $17.75 million per seasoni.e in APY.
For a franchise that lost vaunted mainstays Mike Evans (signed with 49ers) and Lavonte David (retired) this offseason, the 31-year-old Vea is one of the club’s remaining pillars.
Vea, a two-time Pro Bowler who stuffs the run and passes, is rushing up the gut, and did not participate in offseason workouts, including mandatory minicamp, because of his contract status.
Are Vea and Mayfield potential candidates to hold out or hold on to training camp? If the Bucs are in no rush to stamp on extensions, we may find out by the end of July.