“We do not expect every player or every agent to be on the same plane and agree with offers and things like that,” Licht said. “But we felt on our end it was a strong offer that represented a franchise quarterback. We do feel that he is a franchise quarterback.
“These things over time tend to work out. We’ll get to it when that time comes. But in the meantime, our feelings for him haven’t changed. I mean, he’s meant a lot to us. He’s entitled to his feelings. I respect that. But I can honestly say we’ve always tried to deal with players professionally and honestly and in good faith, and we’ll continue to do that in this case.”
Hold on . . . .
Bucs PR people have issued a revision:
“But we felt on our end it was a strong offer that represented . . . an 11 games of 2025 quarterback . . who is no Brady . . just ask Evans"
you kid, who who is playing on 1 year remaining on his contract
Licht has said nice things about Kyle Trask before too
I fully believe Mayfield will be here in 2027 but that will be because of his rebound
you again, are kidding yourselves, if you think this would even be a discussion if Baker played at a high level in 2025.
offering him a 2 year deal, basically a bridge QB, low commitment is not the same as committing the next 5 years to him....
they offered him a contract they knew he wouldn't accept. 2 year deal. please, Baker has 1 last chance at big money contract and this is it. He wants the 4-5 year deal. Clearly judging by his words, he was not amused by the 2 year deal. I do wonder why the Bucs would even offer it and looks to have temporarily backfired given Bakers press conference and now a recurring story line all season about a "rif" over the contract extension. If Baker is playing well, likely a question comes up every week about it from a reporter. If he is playing poorly, maybe a question if the contract is on his mind, etc.
actions speak louder than words and you all should know this by now that coach/GM speak is meaningless
I have Baker contract fatigue. Anything and everything that could be posted about Baker's contract negotiations has already been discussed in this and other forums. Lets just see how the 2026 season plays out.
I have Baker contract fatigue. Anything and everything that could be posted about Baker's contract negotiations has already been discussed in this and other forums. Lets just see how the 2026 season plays out.
its like politics - where both sides will claim victory out of their lens
Baker will play dominate this year, throw 30+ TDs, and get a 4-5 year contract with Tampa at 50M+ per season come February 2027
i will claim victory in the debate, as the Bucs wanted to see what Baker they were getting before committing, particularly after a terrible last 11 games of footage
Donkey Hunter, White Tiger will claim victory in the debate in that the Bucs offered him a 2 year deal but because of Glazers cash issues or whatever, it didnt clear up until after the 17 games were played in 2026....or whatever makes them sleep better at night
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like Greattimes, this is a quote from Licht where two different sides of the spectrum get different views.
“I’m not going to get into specifics about the contract and all that stuff, but yeah, we do think he is [a franchise QB],” Licht said. “We love Baker. Our feelings for Baker haven’t changed.”
i read this as "GM speak" in that clearly they don't want to alienate their starting QB. Of course, they are not going to say, "we were disappointed with the drop off and it made us question if he's still the guy from 2024" But actions speak louder than words. 2 year contract versus 5 year he desires is apples and bowling balls for "franchise QB"
“Baker is all ball. He’s all focused on the season. I’m expecting him to have a great year. We respect the fact that he had a timetable for it (the contract extension). On my end, I’ll always keep the door open on this situation, but he’s very, very focused. I’ve never seen him this focused.”
i read this as a complete deflection from the contract talk and even echoing the same shit i say that i expect Baker to bounce back and have a great year. It's what we all want to happen. and the "oh shucks, it's ashame Baker had a deadline, as i have the door open but hes' focused on the season, god bless Baker" yadda yadda yadda
Clear as day, they want to see how he performs this year before they whip out the real contract offer/mega bucks
2 year deal lmao
would he have left Brady?
FWIW. - and BELIEVE ME (lol) I am not trying to get in the middle of the back and forth with DH- but do you get that your comment doesn't make sense? It does not follow that Evans left Mayfield because he would not have left Brady? Right?
If your grandma had training wheels she'd be a bike . .
Grant it, Mike Evans is a different guy than he was pre-Brady. Surely he respected Mayfield more than the likes of Josh McCown, Glennon, Fitzy, Winston, etc.; but then i suppose the bar was raised with Brady.
would Mike Evans have left Brady? Brady played his worst season with the Bucs in 2022. Bucs had a losing record. Let's say Brady returned for the 2023 season. Let's also say that Evans was a free agent (albeit he was under contract and signed a 2 year extension for 2024-2025 post 2023 season); does Evans leave Brady to go with a better team like the 49ers?
EDIT: Again, all hypothetical but the answer is No...he wouldn't leave Brady.
Now you're saying, well Baker isn't Brady (maybe.....not sure if white tiger will admit that)
but still the point remains, a WR of all positions, leaving a team with established QB...is certainly a dig at the QB...just a bit? or no...we can't even admit that?
Going to Mayfield to Purdy is not really an upgrade. Evans felts better about the rest of the 49ers team and organization so that is why he made the move IMO. The 49ers defense led Morris and Shanahan on offense must have been the deciding factor. Also playing with CMC, Trent Williams, and Kittle who are franchise icons at their respective positions is a no brainer. Sure, Bucs have Wirfs, Irving Jr and Otton but it is not the same.
