Mayfield’s injury leaves Tampa Bay searching
Baker Mayfield’s dislocated right thumb kept him out of Tampa Bay’s Oct. 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers and its Oct. 8 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Rookie Jalon Daniels started both games and helped the Buccaneers secure their first win of the 2026 season, a 24–16 road victory over Dallas. Mayfield’s return date remains unconfirmed after head coach Todd Bowles initially said he would miss at least 3 weeks.
A dislocated thumb caused the injury
Mayfield injured his right thumb, his throwing hand, during Tampa Bay’s September 27, 2026, game against the Minnesota Vikings. He left the 23–16 loss in the final minutes after suffering the injury.
An MRI on September 28 confirmed a dislocation of the thumb joint, with no fracture or tendon tear detected. Head coach Todd Bowles said the initial assessment did not indicate that Mayfield would need surgery or a stay on injured reserve.
Todd Bowles outlined the initial recovery timeline
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on September 28 that Mayfield would miss a minimum of three weeks. That initial estimate followed the medical examination of the quarterback’s injured throwing hand.
The estimate did not establish a guaranteed return date. Tampa Bay’s October 7 injury report continued to list Mayfield as out against Dallas, confirming that he had not returned for that matchup.
Mayfield’s 57-game starting streak ended
Mayfield’s streak of 57 consecutive starts for Tampa Bay ended when his right-thumb injury sidelined him in Week 4 of the 2026 season. The streak began in 2023 and included regular-season and postseason games.
Rookie Jalon Daniels made his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers on October 4, replacing Mayfield in the lineup. Daniels also started against the Dallas Cowboys on October 8, marking Tampa Bay’s second consecutive game without Mayfield as its starting quarterback.
Jalon Daniels remained the starting quarterback
Tampa Bay turned to rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels after Mayfield’s injury. Daniels made his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers on October 4, and the Buccaneers continued with him for the Dallas matchup.
Daniels joined Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie out of Kansas. The Buccaneers chose him to start while Mayfield recovered from his dislocated right thumb, following Daniels’ impressive training camp.
Daniels made his NFL debut against Green Bay
Jalon Daniels made his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers on October 4, 2026, in a 17–14 loss at Raymond James Stadium. The rookie quarterback directed 2 touchdown drives but also threw 2 interceptions during the game.
Green Bay secured the 17–14 victory, leaving Tampa Bay with an 0–4 record after 4 regular-season games. Daniels remained the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers’ October 8 matchup against Dallas while Baker Mayfield recovered from his thumb injury.
Tampa Bay entered Week 5 without a win
The Buccaneers entered their October 8 matchup with Dallas holding an 0–4 record. Their fourth defeat came against Green Bay, which won 17–14 at Raymond James Stadium on October 4.
Dallas entered the game with a 2–2 record after four games. The teams met at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for Tampa Bay’s first prime-time appearance of the 2026 season.
3 other Buccaneers joined Mayfield on the inactive list
Tampa Bay’s October 7 injury report listed safety Antoine Winfield Jr., cornerback Benjamin Morrison and linebacker SirVocea Dennis as out alongside quarterback Baker Mayfield. The players had reported injuries involving the ribs, quadriceps and ankle or foot, respectively.
The 3 defensive players represented multiple positions on Tampa Bay’s defense. Their injury designations confirmed that they would miss the Dallas game but did not establish whether they would miss additional games.
Interesting fact: Mayfield was the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was ruled out with a rib injury
Antoine Winfield Jr. appeared on Tampa Bay’s Week 5 injury report with a rib injury and did not participate in practice during the week leading up to the October 8 game against Dallas.
The Buccaneers officially ruled him out on October 7. His absence was separate from Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury and left Tampa Bay without one of its key defensive players for the matchup.
Interesting fact: Baker Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy while playing for the University of Oklahoma.
Mayfield also missed the Packers game
Mayfield was ruled out of Tampa Bay’s October 4 game against Green Bay after suffering a dislocated right thumb against Minnesota on September 27. The Buccaneers confirmed that he would miss the Week 4 matchup as he began his recovery.
His absence gave rookie Jalon Daniels his first NFL start and ended Mayfield’s streak of 57 consecutive starts for Tampa Bay. Mayfield remained unavailable for the October 8 game against Dallas, according to the Buccaneers’ October 7 injury report.
The initial MRI found no fracture or tendon tear
The Buccaneers’ September 28 update provided specific findings from Mayfield’s MRI. The scan confirmed a dislocated right thumb but showed neither a fracture nor a tendon tear in the joint.
Bowles also said he did not expect Mayfield to need surgery or a stay on injured reserve at that time. Those comments reflected the initial assessment and did not guarantee a particular recovery period.
Tampa Bay earned its first win in prime time
The Buccaneers defeated the Cowboys 24–16 on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Week 5 game kicked off at 8:15 p.m. ET and aired nationally on Prime Video as part of Thursday Night Football.
Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and 1 touchdown in his second NFL start. He started in place of Baker Mayfield, who had been ruled out because of a dislocated right thumb.
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Mayfield’s return date was not confirmed
The Buccaneers ruled Baker Mayfield out of their October 8, 2026, game against Dallas because of his dislocated right thumb. The October 7 injury report listed him as out but did not provide a confirmed return date.
Head coach Todd Bowles initially estimated that Mayfield would miss at least 3 weeks after the injury. That estimate was a recovery projection, not a confirmed date for his return to the field.
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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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