Big Morning For Baker Mayfield
October 22nd, 2026
How will the thumb respond?
A little after 11 a.m. this morning will be telling for the Bucs and how they develop a battle plan for their game Sunday at Carolina.
Will Baker Mayfield be ready to throw?
Yesterday was Mayfield’s first full practice since he dislocated the thumb in his throwing hand in a loss to the Vikings.
By all accounts, per KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles, Mayfield threw the ball fine and gripped the ball fine, albeit wearing a glove.
Friend of the Sage of Tampa Bay sports, Judy Battista of NFL Network, reported last night on an episode of “The Insiders” that the Bucs are looking for two elements in Mayfield’s return.
Could he grip the ball? That’s No. 1, and that seemed to be a yes, per Battista. She said she spoke to Bucs sources last night. But the biggest thing is, how is Mayfield today?
Battista noted that aside from Mayfield being able to grip the ball properly, the Bucs are waiting to see how Mayfield responds to a full day of practice. Will there be swelling and will it affect him?
Bowles said yesterday he wants to make a decision on who starts on Friday. So Joe thinks if Mayfield cannot throw today, then the team will be leaning toward naming Jalon Daniels the starter.
So late this morning will be big for Mayfield’s quest to return to the field.
"How does the thumb respond? How does it feel? Can he keep getting through practices?"@judybattista details what Baker Mayfield must do to be able to return to the Buccaneers this week đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/nGJ0Y5onZ1
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 22, 2026
October 22nd, 2026 at 4:05 am
Let’s go, Baker! Back in the saddle, again!
October 22nd, 2026 at 5:25 am
My recommendation is that you ask Baker if he feels ready to play or not. He won’t play if he can’t play. We played Carolina the last game of the 2023 season and Baker was in no shape to play. Canales was our offensive coordinator.
Of course, Bowles and Baker and Canales (they got us within a play of the NFC championship game) knew that a wounded Baker gave us a much better chance than Trask.
So they game planned conservatively and the defense brought the fire. A good team (which we are) plays with who gives you the best chance to win.
It’s gonna take a great team effort to win this game. We’ve beaten Canales 3 out of 4 since he left us. Baker has been at the helm of all 4 of those games.
For God’s sake, if the man decides he wants to play then he’s playing! He’s making more money- by a long shot- than anybody who has ever played for or worked for this franchise. Baker will have the final say on whether he plays or not. You people are cracking me up.
October 22nd, 2026 at 5:26 am
My guess is they’re hoping he doesn’t play so Bowles can use his injury excuses at seasons end.
October 22nd, 2026 at 5:45 am
here’s the sugar-plum-fairy version of events : Baker plays on Sunday – balls out and wins – Bucs season is turned around and Bucs in the playoffs –
that is not gonna happen – any of it
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:47 am
he should (probably will) play. cant be any worse that last year when he was banged up.
this is must win weekend. no way daniels should be starting.
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:49 am
Prediction: Bake returns to the line up for the year and totally Fs up the Bucs draft position so we are drafting out of the top 10
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:49 am
The route concepts and the blocking scheme of the offense sucks anyways doesn’t matter who is under center
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:52 am
Senior harry i have the same feeling, something about having to watch the unstaffed rookie get the first win for the team lit that fire in him, I say we make a run and be in prime position to be number 1 in the division
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:54 am
“…ask Baker if he feels ready to play or not. He won’t play if he can’t play.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
Seriously Kenton? You dont think Baker would say “no” he can’t play?
In character with what any competitive person would do. They all want to play, every minute of every game, even if they are on one leg or their arm is falling off. Half of last season a blind squirrel could see Bridgewater should have played – not to win a game – but to give Baker an extra week to heal up.
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:55 am
Kenton. You are from Oklahoma now i see why you love Baker so much and you are only here because of Baker. Wich means you are not a real bucs fan i never liked people being fans of players more than being a fan of a team because that means they would never admit that player played bad .
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:57 am
“…this is must win weekend. no way daniels should be starting.”
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Jimmy, last weekend was the “must win weekend”. Its over bro. This is a f@#king train wreak.
October 22nd, 2026 at 7:21 am
Bwahahahaha🤣🤣🤣
“Develop a battle plan “🤣🤣🤣 You mean choreograph a quarter, then ride that script the entire game regardless that the other team figured it out by the 2nd quarter. No need for adjustments. Pfft, players need to work it out. Execute. Why bother putting them in position to succeed? They’re professionals
October 22nd, 2026 at 7:44 am
Wont matter if he plays or not. 1-6 here we come
Only 6 more losses until Bowles is fired
October 22nd, 2026 at 7:52 am
Baker should absolutely play – he’s got nothing to lose.
If Bucs win, he’ll be one of the heroes.
If he fumbles the game away, he already has an excuse.
October 22nd, 2026 at 7:59 am
Onielbuc you hate Baker irrationally just as much as others love Baker irrationally. You also prefer p!ayers over Baker even if they are terrible. Will you admit Daniels is bad? Jalen had the lead and melted down in the fourth with 2 picks and numerous off targets. He had no business being in there at all. Rookie QBs should sit and learn lije Mahomes did. Owners are too cheap to pay a veteran such as Garappolo who is still available.
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:19 am
Kenton Smith Says:
“My recommendation is that you ask Baker if he feels ready to play or not. He won’t play if he can’t play. ”
You’re joking, right?
That man could be missing his foot and would still play if they let him. LOL
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:22 am
I think it’s spelled “fine”.
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:22 am
I believe some people want that #1 pick, and would take it over a Superbowl trip.
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:38 am
Oneilbuc fan,
There you go again. What exactly is a “real” Bucs fan? It sounds like it is a figment of your convoluted imagination. If you are a so called Bucs fan, you are a pathetic one. How do you know what constitutes a real fan? I await more of your garbled and tortured syntax for an explanation.
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:40 am
O’Neil…Awww don’t be sad..I know it only took a couple wks for Winston to get benched ! GoBucs! Can’t wait to see Mayfield flying round again
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:42 am
Bonzai
Superbowl trip?
Check your meds.
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:46 am
Right now Bonzai Mayfield gives Tampa the best chance to win.. Sorry bout your luck..
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:49 am
Playoffs are a tad bit early !
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:01 am
Baker was horrible before the injury and might have gotten benched had he stayed healthy.
Now he’s coming back with a busted throwing hand and people think he can win??
Joe might want to find a good psychiatrist to sponsor the website.
The Pom Pom squad cannot get over their man crush for Mr Mid QB.
Remember all of them screaming about Baker needing to get paid????
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:08 am
1-6, on the horizon!!!!
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:10 am
“1-6”
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:12 am
I bet he throw 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. That seems to be our offensive game plan every week. So I don’t see a problem with him starting.
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:14 am
Two turnovers guaranteed!
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:16 am
play baker!!!!
he’ll be his usual self and produce a 4th quarter INT that will seal the game….again!!!
make baker put his money where his mouth is….get out there and produce a W
for anyone whos wondering, baker is 27-27 as BUCS QB
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:23 am
I’m going to sing my one note again: don’t bring Baker back until the thumb is 100%. And if he needs to wear a glove, that ain’t 100%.
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:30 am
“Baker will have the final say on whether he plays or not”, Kenton, I tend to agree more than disagree with you with comments, but I have to say that’s not only ridiculous. It’s irresponsible. No one player should ever have the final say on whether he plays or not, certainly if we’re talking about injuries, but even in general. Not his decision. Never his decision. Not saying it wouldn’t be irresponsible for a coach to make the wrong decision, but the point is, it’s the coach and leadership that makes that decision. Every time. Or at least it should be.
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:35 am
Steven007: I completely agree. Unless you’re Michael Jordan, there’s just no way.
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:35 am
@Hodadđź‘Ť… You know it!! Actually he’s playing that card already when he gets the late night calls from the Glazers!!
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:36 am
Mr. Excuse!!!
October 22nd, 2026 at 9:41 am
Both the Bucs and Carolina have several DNP’s on their injury report. That could affect both teams. Todd Bowles is waiting for any swelling flail up on Mayfield’s right thumb. If that happens, expect Daniels to play this Sunday. Carolina is playing better than the Bucs. This game could determine who might make the playoff. The 2026 season is looking more like the 2025 season.
A win would give Bucs fans hope and a lose will probably fuel the Bowles haters even more to fire Bowles.
This Sunday is coming down to that FINAL STRAW. Which will it be?
Losing Mike Evans has been a bigger blow than anyone thought. The Bucs are not the same without him. He’s helped the undefeated 49ers season and he is Brock Purdy”s go to receiver
October 22nd, 2026 at 10:26 am
“Losing Mike Evans has been a bigger blow than anyone thought. The Bucs are not the same without him. He’s helped the undefeated 49ers season and he is Brock Purdy”s go to receiver”
Not “everybody” bubba
“Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
June 20th, 2026 at 9:34 pm
It’s kind of clear how undervalued Mike was some Bucs fans, and reading them cope with his exit is kind of funny to read because it proves how little they understand Mike as a player in terms of how he makes the other 10 guys he shares the field with harder.
As of now, we don’t have a WR that commands the attention of anybodys’ #1 and a safety over top. So guess what secondaries will do in response? They’re going to sit on us in 2 high shells, force us to beat them underneath. That’ll challenge our ability to be explosive/get vertical. When or if we can beat that, they’ll cover 3 us down, pack it full of false signals and start bringing that safety freed up from not to clog the seams.”
^^^
Exactly how teams are playing us and why Jalen Ramsey can stack 4 TFLS & 2 sacks from the safety position. Don’t need 2 safeties to keep a lid on an Evans-less offense.
October 22nd, 2026 at 10:50 am
Evans Boohoo! Old news..
They dont turn the ball over
Bucs win…Simple
October 22nd, 2026 at 12:02 pm
If the Bucs get a win Sunday then we are still in this thang. My hope and I o ow Joe loves that word but my hope is that baker had a reality check. He had plenty of time to watch film of himself and do a self evaluation and get back on track. I knows he’s not the best but he’s better than what we’ve seen this year. He can play good ball and win games.
October 22nd, 2026 at 12:22 pm
Who gives a sh!t.
Baker has won 2 out of his 12 starts and he sucked even when healthy this year.
October 22nd, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Play Baker. Don’t play Baker. It Doesn’t Matter!!!
The plays that are called on game day are what matter!
The Bucs have a strong run offense! The Bucs are 6th in the NFL in yards per rush attempt with 4.8 yards per rush attempt!!! The Bucs are 28th in the NFL for yards per pass attempt. Run or pass? Is that a tough question???
39 runs and 25 passes vs the Cowboys – Winners!
25 runs and 43 passes vs the Steelers – Losers!!!
On the season, Bucs 161 runs and 194 passes with 22 sacks allowed and 7 interceptions – Losers!!!
Yards per rush attempt against the Steelers – 4.1! Yards per pass attempt against the Steelers – 2.5!!! Leading by 10 points or more for literally Half of the Game, why were the Bucs passing on 62% of plays while averaging 2.5 yards per on over half of their plays?
Why not run on 60% of plays and average 4.1 yards on over half of their plays?
For the two quarters where the Bucs had a 10 point lead, if the Bucs had run on 60% of their plays on offense like they did against the Cowboys, the clock runs our before the Steelers make their comeback, at least one interception is never thrown, the Bucs are 2-3, and the conversations this week are totally different.
Run the damn ball!!! Or just give up and have a fire sale for draft picks and keep play draft bingo!
October 22nd, 2026 at 1:53 pm
toopanca, we can all wish football were so simple. “Three yards and a cloud of dust”. I think that one’s attributed to Vince Lombardi.
The easiest way to win is to run the ball, play good defense and special teams, and don’t turn the ball over. But it turns out that even that simple plan is hard!
October 22nd, 2026 at 2:39 pm
i wouldn’t mind seeing daniels under center for one more game…
i’m sure most would disagree…but let tom thumb rest for another week and come back at home vs. the dirty turds
October 22nd, 2026 at 2:56 pm
Daniels, Daniels, Daniels…….The bright lights on these pages deserve this guy. Baker I hope is headed to Pittsburgh in 2027. Reading the truly insipid comments about Mayfield who has had the second highest TD passes in the NFL in his last 3 full years in Tampa is telling. The stooges on these pages prove that the education system in the US is really broken.
Professor Von Knownothing, Marine Buc, Oneilbuc, Munch, and others could all benefit from a good proctologist.
October 22nd, 2026 at 3:01 pm
Adam,, Bolwes really doesn’t have another week, he may even have to have his ends rush the passer. He is out of options and I’m not saying he gets fired Monday with a loss but that scenario is in play (Robinson may be out of time as well) , a win doesn’t get you much but it may save your job for a few weeks
October 22nd, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Doesnt matter who is at quarterback. WRs cant get separation. The run game is Top 10, but you cannot have a one dimensional offense like that. Top 10 in Average Depth of Target, but its hard to move the ball that way with some of the lowest separation in the league. Need more medium and short. No, not screens.
October 22nd, 2026 at 7:27 pm
I think the ownership have had enough so let’s see how this plays out i think John gruden is in the mix you may not think so but I have a feeling it’s just right and at the right time