Baker Mayfield seemingly disagrees with Buccaneers' timeline for return from injury

Earlier this week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that starting quarterback Baker Mayfield will "probably" be sidelined for "a minimum of three weeks" due to the dislocated thumb on his throwing hand that Mayfield suffered in Tampa Bay's 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that dropped the Buccaneers to 0-3 on Sept. 27. 

It sounds like Mayfield has a different timeline in mind. 

"Don't be surprised" if Baker Mayfield tries to do this amid recovery

According to the JoeBucsFan website, well-known NFL insider James Palmer shared an update on Mayfield's status during the Amazon Prime Video pregame show for the "Thursday Night Football" contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns.

"Don’t be surprised if Baker tries to push this and come back after two [missed games]," Palmer said. 

Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels is on track to start for the winless Buccaneers when they host the 1-2 Green Bay Packers this coming Sunday. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Tampa Bay as a 3.5-point home underdog for that game. 

In Week 5, the Buccaneers will play a "Thursday Night Football" contest at the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 8. 

Why Buccaneers may not want to rush Baker Mayfield back

Mayfield has developed a reputation for being willing to put his body at risk during games and for playing through physical setbacks. That said, the numbers show he wasn't performing all that well this season before he hurt his thumb. 

According to ESPN stats, Mayfield began Friday ranked 28th out of 30 qualified players with a 36.0 adjusted QBR for the campaign. Over the season's first three weeks, he tossed two touchdown passes and two interceptions. 

Additionally, the previously mentioned Daniels may prove to be a hot hand for even a week or two. The JoeBucsFan story noted that Palmer said Daniels "has brought juice to the offense" while serving as its temporary QB1 in midweek practices. 

Of course, it's also possible that Daniels could look overwhelmed en route to suffering back-to-back losses. If such a scenario plays out, those running the Buccaneers may start having conversations about the team selling pieces ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.