Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Suffers Dislocated Thumb

After today’s loss to the Vikings, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told the media that quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Mayfield will have an MRI scan performed tomorrow, but the veteran passer is expected to miss time as a result of the injury.

After awarding Mayfield with a three-year, $165MM extension just before the start of the season, an 0-3 start to the season was not the expectation in Tampa Bay. Things could get worse for the Buccaneers after the injury to their starting quarterback. With Mayfield out to close today’s game, backup quarterback Jalon Daniels came in for the final drive of the game. The undrafted rookie out of Kansas would be the starter moving forward for any games Mayfield can’t play in.

Mayfield has been the starting quarterback in Tampa Bay for three years now. In each campaign, Mayfield and the Bucs have started 2-1 or better through the first three weeks of the season. This year, a trio of one-score losses has painted an ugly picture for 2026, and the outlook for the rest of the year may hinge on whether or not Daniels can keep the team afloat until Mayfield is able to return from injury.

Daniels was an off-and-on starter over six years with the Jayhawks. In the team’s COVID-19-shortened, nine-game 2020 season, he started six games as a true freshman injury replacement. He started three games as an injury replacement the next year then played nine games as a full-time starter in 2022, throwing for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns to four interceptions in his third season with seven more scores and 425 yards on the ground. His 2023 campaign was lost to injury after Daniels suffered a season-ending back injury three games into the year.

Daniels’ final two seasons of Lawrence saw two vastly different levels of efficiency. While his production through the air and on the ground were fairly even in both years, Daniels improved his completion percentage from 57.0 to 62.1 from 2024 to 2025 and improved a 14-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio to 22-to-7. Despite playing for one of the NCAA’s lowest win percentage teams (.303 over the last 10 years), Daniels showed impressive abilities throughout his collegiate career and earned an NFL opportunity after going undrafted.

After an impressive offseason in Tampa Bay, Daniels beat out former Bengals backup passer Jake Browning for the Buccaneers’ QB2 role this year. Now, Daniels will likely be tasked with leading Tampa’s offense until Mayfield can come back from today’s thumb injury. With the rest of the NFC South sitting at 1-2, the Bucs aren’t too far behind the rest of the field, but they can’t afford to lose any more ground during Mayfield’s absence.

Mayfield isn’t the only Buccaneer undergoing an MRI tomorrow. Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, wide receiver Jalen McMillan will have his left knee scanned on Monday in order to determine if today’s injury is a reaggravation of his training camp injury or if he’s dealing with something new.