Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield will miss at least 3 weeks with thumb injury

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 28, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got the best possible news Monday about Baker Mayfield’s right thumb injury, but the quarterback still will miss a minimum of three weeks.

There was no fracture and no tendon or ligament damage to Mayfield’s thumb, coach Todd Bowles confirmed. The team will prepare to play undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels in Mayfield’s absence.

“It’s consistent with everything we thought it was,” Bowles said. ”It’s a dislocation, and right now we’re probably talking a minimum of three weeks."

There are no plans right now for Mayfield to go on injured reserve, which would force him to miss a minimum of four weeks.

The Buccaneers are expected to promote veteran Easton Stick from the practice squad to back up Daniels Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Bowles said the team likely will look to sign another quarterback for either the practice squad or active roster.

“Either a veteran or a practice-squad (quarterback), one in that span,” Bowles said. ”We’ll go with Jalon, we’ll go play, and we’ll see what’s out there that we can bring in to help out on the practice squad or help out on the team."

Since signing with the Buccaneers in 2023, Mayfield has started all 54 games. That streak will come to an end after his thumb was struck by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman as Mayfield threw a fourth-down pass that was intercepted by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in the final minutes of Sunday’s 23-16 loss.

Mayfield grabbed his hand and screamed before he was helped off the field by trainers.

The Buccaneers signed former Cincinnati Bengals backup Jake Browning as a free agent in March to back up Mayfield. But he was outplayed by Daniels in the preseason, and the team promoted the former Kansas star to No. 2.

Daniels led the Bucs to comeback wins over the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs during the preseason. He completed 27 of 44 passes (61.4%) for 239 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also showed mobility, rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

It’s a tall order for Daniels. The Buccaneers are 0-3 for the first time since 2014. They host the Packers Sunday, then play at Dallas four days later on “Thursday Night Football.”

Daniels’ mobility will help him Sunday against the Packers. Tampa Bay has allowed 13 sacks this season, most in the NFL. But many of those have been the result of Mayfield holding the football too long.

“It’s a little bit of everything — whether we’re holding it too long, whether somebody’s not open, whether we’ve got to get rid of the football or whatever the case may be,” Bowles said. ”We’ve got to shorten the passing game in some way, shape or form. We’ve got to block it better up front fundamentally and technically, and we’ve got to coach it better. So, it’s a combination of everything. It’s never just one thing that happens.”

Bowles said Daniels can expect the Packers to bring a lot of defensive pressure since he is a rookie quarterback making his first NFL regular-season start.

“It’s going to be like every other rookie,” the coach said. ”But he’s played well in the preseason. He’s very bright. He’s not going to be out there by himself. There will be 22 other guys out there helping him out, so we just expect him to do his job and play at a high level as he expects of himself.

“Depending on what kind of scheme, but I’m sure they’ll blitz a lot and show him a bunch of different looks, and I’m sure he’s going to get a lot of pressure.”

The good news is that every other team in the NFC South is 1-2, giving the Buccaneers hope for climbing back into the division race.

How much confidence does Bowles have in Daniels being able to win games while Mayfield is out?

“The same confidence (I had in him) that he made the team with. Just going out there performing, doing his job and being him, going through his reads and making throws and playing football,” Bowles said.

“Like I said, he goes out there and his performance speaks for itself. When he’s out there, his confidence speaks for itself, and they rally around him.”

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