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Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Baker Mayfield contract standoff continues in Tampa Bay as the former Oklahoma quarterback looks more and more like he’s on the way out sooner rather than later.

The tensions have been running high, and, on top of this, Mayfield issued a clear ultimatum. Mayfield issued a deadline of sorts for the Bucs, saying that he does not want contract negotiations to go into training camp as he enters the final season of his three-year deal worth $100 million with the team.

“It’s happening, starting, the talks and what not,” Mayfield told the media earlier this week regarding the current state of negotiations. “But, not anywhere close to what we were thinking. So, I would love to be here long-term… as of right now, that’s not exactly the case.

While it doesn’t sound the most convincing right now, Mayfield says he’s focused on the journey ahead on the football field, with his sights set on leading the Bucs to the sport’s most prestigious stage.

He believes he has his team behind him throughout this difficult process, and has indicated that he wants to remain in Tampa.

“The guys in that locker room know that I’m still going to be me,” Mayfield continued. “I’m still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me, that’s the priority. Everything else will take care of itself. Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline… as soon as training camp starts, we’re not going to do any contract stuff.”

But what if Mayfield and the Bucs ultimately cannot come to an agreement? Here’s a look at three potential future destinations for the quarterback, in no particular order.

1. New York Jets.

This is far from the first time Mayfield has been linked to the Jets. In fact, they were the first team Mayfield was pinned to while he was going through the pre-draft process after he completed his college career with the Sooners.

The team was expected to select him with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but the Browns turned heads when they chose to take Mayfield with the first overall pick.

Given this history and the shaky situation the Jets currently have at quarterback, this move really does make a ton of sense for New York.

2. Cleveland Browns.

Could Mayfield make a return to the first team that ever took a swing at him? It’s certainly possible, and the Browns are being looked at as one of the most quarterback-needy teams in the NFL right now. In Cleveland, the quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders continues, with that expected to possibly go all the way into the regular season. That’s not a good problem to have, to say the least.

There is some concern that the Browns may not be in the running at all for Mayfield, at least on his end, because of the bitter way their relationship ended.

That’s an understatement, really, considering that Mayfield said on “X” after his departure from Cleveland that he felt he had been “shipped off like a piece of garbage” by Kevin Stefanski and co. But it is worth noting that Stefanski is no longer in Cleveland, now serving as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers are another team frequently discussed as a possibility of bringing on another quarterback, given the needs the team presents ahead of the season. And this may be the most favored landing spot for Mayfield of them all among analysts.

Many analysts have pinned him as the best possible option for Pittsburgh, with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers indicating multiple times that he plans to retire at the end of the season.

The Steelers don’t exactly have a lot of hope or solidity behind Rodgers at the current moment, with Drew Allar, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard behind him. That’s far from a promising situation. They’ll need to bring in a veteran presence or draft a replacement sooner rather than later.