Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield dislocated his right thumb late in Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage.
The 0-3 Buccaneers already face a difficult start. The injury to their starting quarterback adds another layer of uncertainty heading into Week 4.
NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport offered an early assessment of the timeline Monday morning.
“I would say best-case scenario 2 to 4 weeks out; that is the best case,” Rapoport said on Monday. “The worst-case scenario is that he has significantly torn ligaments in his thumb and he is out for the foreseeable future. High-stakes MRI for Tampa.”
Coach Todd Bowles said X-rays taken after the game showed no break. The MRI will reveal whether ligaments are torn.
“He’s got a dislocated thumb. He’s going to have an MRI (Monday) just to see exactly what inside is wrong with it,” Bowles said.
The injury happened on a fourth-and-13 play with Tampa Bay trailing 20-16 and less than two minutes remaining. Mayfield scrambled backward more than 20 yards before throwing an interception. His throwing hand struck a Vikings defender on the follow-through.
Mayfield finished 17 of 34 for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked six times in the game and has been sacked 13 times through three weeks.
Tampa Bay is winless through three games for the first time since 2014. The Buccaneers have lost 10 of their last 12 games dating to last season.
Mayfield, 31, signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension just days before the season opener. The deal averages $55 million per season and ranks among the highest in the league.
If the thumb injury sidelines him for a long stretch or the rest of the season, the team will still carry a large cap figure. One report put the 2027 cap charge near $65 million, limiting flexibility to move on from the veteran.
Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels entered for the final series after Mayfield left the field. Daniels threw an interception on the last play of the game.
Daniels, a former Kansas quarterback, is expected to start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers if Mayfield cannot play. Practice squad quarterback Easton Stick is the next option on the roster.
The rest of the NFC South sits at 1-2. Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta all have one win, leaving Tampa Bay one game out of first place despite the 0-3 record.
“The funny thing is we’re 0-3 and we’re a game out of first place. We have to get our stuff together,” Bowles said.
Mayfield has a history of playing through pain and extending plays. That style contributed to the thumb dislocation as he tried to keep a late drive alive.
A short absence of two weeks would likely leave Stick as the primary backup. A longer absence could push the Buccaneers to add a more experienced quarterback who could also compete with Daniels.
In 2023, undrafted Tyson Bagent started four games for the Chicago Bears and went 2-2. Tampa Bay hopes Daniels can provide similar stability.
The Buccaneers’ next stretch includes Green Bay, Dallas, Pittsburgh and two division games before a Week 10 bye. Missing Mayfield for even part of that stretch would test an offense that has scored just four touchdowns in three games.
Bowles said the team will wait for the MRI results before deciding on the quarterback plan.
