Baker Mayfield’s Shoulder Injury Update

Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater took over for the rest of the game in the second half and Mayfield was seen on the sidelines in a sling. Following the game Todd Bowles didn’t have an update besides that it’s a sprain and that he needed more X-rays.

A day later we had more information.

Baker Mayfield Injury Update

Right before Bucs head coach Todd Bowles spoke in a press conference the day after the game, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Baker Mayfield suffered a sprained AC joint on his left shoulder. Thankfully, there was no structural damage and he hasn’t been ruled out just yet for Tampa Bay’s next game against the Cardinals.

When Todd Bowles spoke, there wasn’t much that he could give as Baker Mayfield didn’t have an MRI just yet.

“That’s the preliminary thought right now,” Bowles said about it being an AC joint sprain. “He’ll have [his MRI] this afternoon and we’ll reassess it then.”

Asked if this was an injury that Mayfield could play through, Bowles replied:

“I’m not sure yet.”

There was no indication whether this could be an injury that takes days, weeks or a month to recover from.

It Might Be Time For Teddy Bridgewater

If Baker Mayfield can’t play, that means veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater will take over as the starting quarterback. Bridgewater came in the second half of Sunday night’s game and completed 8-of-15 passes for 62 yards and was sacked twice. Bridgewater actually didn’t get to Los Angeles until around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday as he was in Miami attending a funeral of his mentor. About 12 hours later he was in the game in the third and fourth quarters subbing for Mayfield.

Bridgewater is a well experienced quarterback in the league having played in 83 games and starting in 65 of them. If he were to start on Sunday for Tampa Bay, it will be his first start since 2022. The 2025 Bucs are 6-5 and still have a lot to play for, as the team can still reclaim the NFC South division crown. Obviously not having Mayfield would be a huge blow, but Todd Bowles is confident that they can win with Bridgewater if he has to line up under center this week.

“He’s a different quarterback (than Mayfield),” Bowles said. “So schematically we’ll have to do some different things for him to make him feel comfortable within the offense and do a lot of things that he likes to do. There’s some similar things but there are also some differences that way to make him more comfortable. He’s been here long enough to where if he had to go we can tweak it the right way where he can be successful.”