TAMPA, July 30 -- The deadline Baker Mayfield drew for himself came and went without a signature.

By the time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers convened for their first padded practice Wednesday, the window the 31-year-old quarterback had privately set to finalize a new contract had quietly closed. Neither side had made significant progress in negotiations. Neither side, per multiple reports, expects to resume meaningful talks before the regular season begins.

Mayfield will play the 2026 season under his existing deal, pitching himself to the franchise, and to any other team paying attention, with no extension secured. A franchise-tag decision waits as soon as next spring. Free agency in 2027 is the horizon both sides are now implicitly negotiat...