Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield will miss at least the next three games after dislocating his right thumb in Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed Monday. An MRI revealed no fracture and no ligament or tendon damage, and Bowles said surgery is not expected to be necessary. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will take over as the starter in Mayfield’s absence, a move that immediately reshapes both Tampa Bay’s offense and the betting markets tied to the franchise.
Mayfield was hurt with under two minutes remaining on a fourth-and-13 scramble, taking a hit from Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman as he threw what became an interception. He left the game holding his throwing hand and did not return. Bowles said Monday the injury is “consistent with everything we thought it was, a dislocation,” adding that the team is currently planning on “a minimum of three weeks” without its starter. Mayfield is expected to remain on the 53-man roster rather than be placed on injured reserve, though Bowles noted that could change depending on how the recovery progresses.
Daniels Steps In After a Standout Camp
Daniels, a six-year starter at Kansas who signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in May, beat out veteran Jake Browning for the backup job during the preseason and was the only backup quarterback the Buccaneers carried on their initial roster. General manager Jason Licht defended that decision earlier this month, saying the team preferred “a very talented, prepared, inexperienced quarterback” over keeping a veteran simply for experience’s sake. Daniels completed 27 of 44 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions during the preseason while also adding a rushing score, directing drives that accounted for 30 of Tampa Bay’s 33 offensive points in exhibition play.
His first extended NFL action came in relief of Mayfield on Sunday, and Bowles confirmed Monday that Daniels will get the start. The move ends a long NFL quarterback drought for Kansas, whose last alum to start an NFL game was Frank Seurer in 1987. Mayfield, for his part, had been playing at an elite level before the injury. Through three games he ranked among a small group of quarterbacks — along with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen — to throw at least five touchdown passes without an interception to open the season, and he led the NFL in passer rating and passing yards late in Sunday’s fourth quarter before the turnover that ended his night.
What the Injury Means for Tampa Bay’s Odds
The Buccaneers enter Daniels’ first start at 1-2, and the win total market had already been trending pessimistic before Sunday’s loss. Tampa Bay’s preseason over/under of 8.5 wins opened with the Buccaneers favored to clear it, but the number flipped over the offseason as the roster lost key veterans, and it now sits priced toward the under at several sportsbooks. Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl odds have also drifted into the 55-to-1 to 72-to-1 range at various books, placing the Buccaneers well outside the main contender tier, and their odds to make the playoffs sit near even money to slightly against.
An extended stretch with an undrafted rookie under center is exactly the kind of uncertainty that markets price in immediately, and oddsmakers will be watching closely how Tampa Bay’s per-game spreads and totals move over the next three weeks as more information becomes available on Daniels’ readiness. Mayfield’s absence removes a quarterback who was playing some of the best football of his career, and until Daniels proves he can replicate even a fraction of that production, expect Tampa Bay’s numbers as short-term underdogs to reflect the market’s uncertainty about a first-time NFL starter directing the offense.
