Baker Mayfield Out 3 Weeks; Jalon Daniels to Start

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is expected to miss at least three weeks after dislocating his right thumb in Sundays loss to the Minnesota Vikings, ESPN and NFL.com reported.

Coach Todd Bowles said Monday the MRI showed a dislocation without ligament or tendon damage and that surgery is not planned. Right now, we’re talking about a minimum of three weeks,” Bowles said, adding Tampa Bay intends to keep Mayfield on the 53-man roster for now rather than place him on injured reserve.

Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will start when the 0-3 Buccaneers host the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 4. Daniels, who beat out Jake Browning for the backup job in camp, went 0-for-3 with a late interception in relief against Minnesota. The last Buccaneers starter other than Mayfield was Tom Brady in 2022, the outlets noted.

Mayfield signed a three-year, $165 million extension just before the season and has started every regular-season game since joining Tampa Bay. The injury came late in the fourth quarter when he was hit by Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman as he threw an interception. Bowles said the club will also look for another quarterback on the practice squad or as a veteran addition while Daniels leads the offense.

For readers tracking NFC South updates on Sports, the earliest projected return window points toward Week 7 at Carolina if recovery holds. Verified as of Sept. 2930 reports: Mayfield out a minimum of three weeks; MRI cleared ligaments and tendons; Daniels named Week 4 starter; Buccaneers 0-3 ahead of Packers.