NFL Insider Tom Pelissero on Intrigue Surrounding Baker, Lamar & Stroud Extensions

Baker Mayfield has drawn a line. Once training camp begins, the negotiating is over.

That is the top of Tom Pelissero's list of quarterback contract situations still hanging over the league, and as of a couple of days before he joined Rich, there had been no movement.

"It's really about the number," Pelissero said. The relationship is not the issue. "The Bucs want Baker there. Baker wants to be there."

The problem is where he slots. Of the 16 quarterbacks currently on what Pelissero called true franchise quarterback contracts, Mayfield is the lowest paid. He has also been a top five producer in a lot of statistical categories during his time in Tampa. So how far up the ladder does he jump? Should he be paid like a top five quarterback, or somewhere below that? Pelissero expects them to re-engage in the days leading up to players reporting.

Lamar Jackson is the situation that has been going on forever, and it operates by different rules because Jackson does not have an agent. Pelissero recalled how the last one ended. Proposals kept coming in, and one day Jackson simply accepted one, on the day of the draft, and it was over.

There is also no urgency on Baltimore's side, because Jackson is due $52 million in 2026. Nothing gets done unless it is the perfect deal.

The newly extension-eligible names are where it gets more interesting. Pelissero does not expect a Bryce Young extension and believes he plays out year four. There have been preliminary conversations, and the arrow is pointing up, but Pelissero's read is that you may want to see a little bit more before paying him at or near the top of the quarterback market.

C.J. Stroud is the live one. Conversations are ongoing with Houston, nothing was imminent at last check, and Pelissero said it would not shock him if something got done. He also did not pretend last season was uncomplicated. Stroud did not start well, got better in the middle of the year, and then everyone saw what happened down the stretch and into the playoffs. That makes paying him at the very top of the market a harder conversation.

Working in Stroud's favor is who is running the building. "We know that Nick Caserio is not afraid to pay any of his core players at the top of the market," Pelissero said. "He's done it time and time again, sometimes in ways that frustrate other teams because he is paying a little bit extra relative to where the market is."

The bigger point Pelissero made is about the calendar, and it explains why some of these quarterbacks might be perfectly happy to stall.

In 2027, the 2024 draft class becomes extension eligible. Caleb Williams. Jayden Daniels. Drake Maye. Bo Nix. Combine that with where the salary cap is heading and the math shifts fast.

"A $60 million contract right now might be 70 to be at the top of the market a year from now," Pelissero said.

Which means if you are Jackson, already making a fortune, or Stroud, staring at an offer below what you think you are worth, or even Mayfield, waiting is a real strategy. "The numbers are going to be better if I just wait this out."

Pelissero was careful to note the obvious catch. That is why players take out insurance. You never know if injuries are going to happen.

Beyond Mayfield, the one he is watching is Stroud.