TAMPA - Baker Mayfield’s 57-game starting streak is over, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will turn to an undrafted rookie for the first time in the franchise’s 51-season history when Jalon Daniels takes the field against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his right throwing hand during Tampa Bay’s Week Three loss to the Minnesota Vikings and will miss a minimum of three weeks, Head Coach Todd Bowles confirmed after an MRI examination Monday. The MRI ruled out a fracture or tendon tear, and Bowles said he does not believe surgery or a stint on injured reserve will be required.
“It’s consistent with everything we thought it was, a dislocation,” Bowles said. “Right now we’re probably talking a minimum of three weeks.”
Daniels, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas who earned a roster spot through an impressive training camp and preseason, will become the first quarterback other than Mayfield to start for Tampa Bay since Tom Brady in 2022. He entered Sunday’s game against Minnesota in a difficult late-game situation, running once for nine yards before his Hail Mary attempt on the final play was intercepted near the goal line.
Bowles said he expects opposing defenses to test the young signal-caller immediately. “Depending on what kind of scheme, but I’m sure they’ll blitz him a lot, show him a bunch of different looks and I’m sure he’s going to get a lot of pressure,” he said.
Despite those challenges, Bowles expressed confidence in Daniels, pointing to the same qualities that earned him a roster spot. “The same confidence that he made the team with,” Bowles said. “Just going out there, performing, doing his job and being him going through his reads and making throws and playing football. His performance speaks for itself when he’s out there. His confidence speaks for itself and they rally around him. It’s going to be like every other rookie. But he played well in the preseason. He’s very bright. He’s not going to be out there by himself. We just expect him to do his job and play at a high level, as he expects of himself.”
The forced change marks the first in-season quarterback switch for Tampa Bay in eight years. Jameis Winston started every game in 2019, and Brady started all of the Buccaneers’ contests from 2020 through 2022. The last comparable disruption came during the 2018 campaign, when Winston was suspended for the first three games and Ryan Fitzpatrick filled in before Winston reclaimed the job in Week Six.
The Buccaneers also have veteran Easton Stick on the practice squad. Stick played under Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson last season in Atlanta. Bowles said the team may look to add a third quarterback to either the active roster or the practice squad while Mayfield is sidelined. Tampa Bay hosts Green Bay next Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.