NFL season opens with Mayfield deal, Donald absence and Mahomes return
Baker Mayfield has reportedly agreed to a US$165 million extension, while Aaron Donald will miss the Rams’ Melbourne opener and Patrick Mahomes is set to return for Kansas City.
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension worth US$165 million, according to an ESPN report cited by Fox Sports. The agreement has not been formally confirmed in the supplied material.
The reported deal would average US$55 million a season and comes as Mayfield enters the final year of his existing contract. That previous agreement, signed in 2024, was worth US$100 million over three years. Guarantees, bonuses and other terms of the new deal have not been provided.
The contract would place Mayfield among the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks by reported annual average salary, alongside Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and behind Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott.
The Rams, meanwhile, will open the season against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne without defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald has been ruled out and will not travel to Australia. He reportedly came out of retirement last month to rejoin Los Angeles.
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mahomes will start against Denver on Monday, provided there is no setback. Mahomes is returning after knee ligament injuries kept him out for nearly nine months.
