TAMPA, Fla. — The first move is always the most important. That was when Baker Mayfield stutter-stepped past Joel.

From there, he stiff-armed Bryan and then beat Avram to the edge. At that point, it was just a matter of outrunning Darcie and Ed.

Yup, three-plus years into the Mayfield experiment, the Glazer siblings found out what it’s like to challenge Baker in a competition. To implicitly suggest he is a lesser quarterback than his heart believes.

Without calling anyone out by name, Mayfield took aim at the Bucs owners on the second day of training camp Thursday when he said he felt disrespected and predicted the team would regret not signing him to a contract extension as he enters the final season of his current three-year deal.

“I‘m not the first one to go through it like this. This is kind of historically how (the Bucs have) done negotiations, which is disappointing when you think you’re a cornerstone of the franchise to be treated like that,” Mayfield said.

In a big-picture sense, this is not a surprise. Certainly not the part about the impasse. It’s been building for months and, frankly, the circumstances practically made it inevitable.

It was Mayfield’s bluntness on Thursday that contributed to the holy-moly factor. And, in retrospect, we probably should have expected that, too.

It’s who Mayfield is. Oh, he’s softened the edges. And he’s learned to smile while twisting the knife. But he’s still the guy who planted an Oklahoma flag in the middle of the field at Ohio State following an upset victory a decade ago. He’s still the guy who carries a grudge against an interim head coach (Steve Wilks) who benched him after starting the season 1-5 in Carolina.

The Mayfield narrative is the story of overcoming doubt and refusing to back down. Of leaving Texas Tech and walking on at Oklahoma, where he went on to win a Heisman Trophy. Of being discarded in Cleveland and Carolina, only to show up in Tampa Bay on a bargain contract and taking the Bucs to back-to-back division titles.

“You can say what you want in the media. You can say I’m cocky and whatever,” Mayfield said. “But it’s all ball. I love my teammates, I love this game and I love playing it.”

Contract disputes are an occupational hazard in the NFL. There’s always some player in some town with some grievance. Just ask defensive tackle Vita Vea.

What you want to know is will it last all year, and will it turn out happily?

Answers: Probably and probably not.

The issue is that Mayfield occasionally plays like he’s one of the top 10 QBs in the world. He’s charismatic, gutty and savvy, and he’s taken two different franchises to the playoffs. You look at it from that perspective and say he deserves the $52 million a season that those type of quarterbacks usually command.

He’s also thrown more interceptions than anyone in the league since 2018, has one of the higher sack rates and is 58-62 as a starter. You look at it from that perspective and you understand why the Glazers might be hesitant to sign a deal with excessive zeroes on his pay stub.

“I think I’m a franchise quarterback. I’ve been told I’m a franchise quarterback,” Mayfield said. “It’s been said publicly from ownership on down here. So to not have a deal done, it’s very disappointing.”

Mayfield, 31, seemed oddly amused by the entire situation on Thursday. His words sounded more bitter than his tone. And maybe that’s simply because he relishes the underdog role and has often been at his best when backed into a corner.

It also could be because the Bucs are going to pay one way or another.

If Mayfield plays well and takes the Bucs to the playoffs, his price will go up. The Bucs could put a franchise tag on him, but that would likely cost somewhere in the $45-$50 million range and it would accelerate $30 million in dead money that would turn into a $75-$80 million salary-cap hit in 2027.

If Mayfield gets hurt or plays poorly, he hits free agency with a bad taste in his mouth and the Bucs are without a proven quarterback in 2027. Also, that means their 2026 season went in the dumper and future seasons will be in doubt until they draft or sign a big-money quarterback.

Neither scenario is ideal for the Glazers.

The best possibility for a happy ending is if the two sides come to terms during the season. Mayfield said he’s done negotiating now that training camp has begun, but that doesn’t mean his agent won’t listen if the Bucs call with an offer in another month or two.

“They’re not talking to me, I know that,” Mayfield said of the possibility. “If my agent answers it, he’s not going to bother me with it unless it’s actually recognizing my value.”

That wasn’t exactly slamming the door shut.

On the other hand, the Glazers have already learned how elusive Mayfield can be under pressure.

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