The NFL season is a roller coaster.
The Bucs had high expectations coming into the 2026 season. Those expectations quickly went by the wayside when starting quarterback Baker Mayfield — fresh off signing a massive new contract just before the season began — looked as bad as we've ever seen him in Tampa. His turnovers, poor timing and inaccuracy downfield played a big role in the team's disastrous 0-4 start.
Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand on the final play of the team's Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and things appeared to be going from bad to worse.
That was until undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels surprised everyone by taking two quality teams to the wire in two consecutive weeks, highlighted by a standout performance in the Bucs' first win of the season against the Cowboys in Dallas on Thursday Night Football.
Despite Early Season Struggles, Bucs Need Baker
But just when some optimism began to creep back into the minds of the Buccaneers' faithful following that elusive victory, Daniels came back down to earth in a big way vs. the Steelers this past Sunday.
Despite a solid first half, he completely fell apart in the second half, going 8-for-20 passing while also throwing two interceptions. That ultimately allowed the Steelers to erase a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to win the game.
So now, as the roller coaster that has been the Buccaneers' season takes yet another turn, it seems as though at this point, most people would prefer to see Mayfield back under center as soon as possible.
But when will that happen?
Mayfield's Status Unclear Ahead of First NFC South Matchup
This weekend, the Buccaneers will face off against the Carolina Panthers, their first NFC South matchup of the year. The fact that the Bucs have six divisional games remaining means that, as unlikely as it may seem, there is still technically a chance that Tampa Bay could turn its season around.
On Monday, Todd Bowles was asked about what he needs to see from Mayfield, who continues to work his way back from his thumb injury, before he declares him ready to resume his role as the Bucs' starting quarterback.
"He's supposed to practice Wednesday," Bowles said. "We're going to take a good look at him there and then we'll kind of evaluate him during the week and see how he does."
Bowles was then asked if the team will be preparing as if Daniels will start.
"I think you have to," Bowles said. "Both will be in the meetings…Obviously, both will be in the meetings. We'll see how the week goes before we decide who it is."
Bowles was extremely vague about Mayfield's status heading into this game, so unfortunately, we don't have any clear information to work from. That being said, it wouldn't be advantageous to his football team in any way to disclose whether or not Mayfield will be available so early in the week.
Based on Bowles' comments this week, it does seem as though there is a legitimate chance that Mayfield will not be ready in time for this game against the Panthers, but no one outside of the building really knows. And if Mayfield does end up playing, then it's probably a good thing that his opponent isn't sure yet, either.
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