Possible New Window Into Baker Mayfield’s 2025 Health
July 1st, 2026
Baker backup speaks.
Here’s a fresh nugget from an unlikely source, a guy who spends every football day around Baker Mayfield.
Buccaneers practice squad/third-string quarterback Connor Bazelak, sometimes known as the guy who took Kyle Trask’s Bucs future, had a sitdown recently with James Hill/Mr. Bucs Nation. There, Bazelak touched on Baker Mayfield getting hurt last season and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater getting smacked around when he played against the Rams.
That led to Bazelak, he said, to be reminded by Bucs coaches that he was “two plays away” from being called upon to lead Tampa Bay to victory. “At that point, we were were fighting for a playoff spot,” Bazelak continued.
Bazelak noted he didn’t hear of other NFL teams looking to sign him off the Bucs’ practice squad before he was called up to the active roster late in the season.
But what most interested Joe is Bazelak said he had an expectation of seeing his first regular-season action if the Bucs had clinched a playoff spot.
“Also, I was hoping we would just keep winning and winning, because [the Bucs] did talk about me playing against the Panthers — that Week 18 game at home, which would have been awesome to get some experience,” Bazelak said.
That’s intriguing. Were the Bucs yearning to get Mayfield a week off? Were the Bucs already convinced Bridgewater was undesirable as a backup quarterback and were hoping get Bazelak action to prep him for No. 2 QB duty in the playoffs?
Keep in mind the Bucs had zero interest in retaining Bridgwater this offseason.
July 1st, 2026 at 12:39 pm
They have yet to take the backup QB spot a serious roster spot for years. Of course Baker played thru injuries last year.
July 1st, 2026 at 12:52 pm
Did any of this have anything to do with losing 4 games in a row leading up to our last game of the season? How likely would it have been Bazelak would have been able to score the 16 points we needed to win that game? Why would the QB need a week off for the last game of the season which we needed to win to mathematically have a chance at a postseason berth w/some help from division opponents?
July 1st, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Anybody with eyes could see Baker was hurt. Same as the last year in Cleveland. True grit.
July 1st, 2026 at 1:18 pm
True grit all right. The head coach should have benched him during the bye week to recover some what from his shoulder. This would have giving us a better chance to win the division!
No wonder he lost his players. But no worries. The problem is now fixed Bucs fans.
Meanwhile he and his son are laughing all the way to the bank.
July 1st, 2026 at 1:42 pm
I think he was benched during the bye week. 🤣🤣🤣
July 1st, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Would have been better to rest Baker for 1-2 games we lose but he comes back healthy with a much better chance to win. Instead we kept him out there and we lost games anyway. Didn’t matter who was back up he should have rested and healed up.
July 1st, 2026 at 1:51 pm
Tells you what a scrub Bazelak is when he couldn’t even rise over Teddy Hospitality Ball. What a dumpster fire.