Baker Mayfield: Shoulder injury, but no serious damage for the Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a low-grade sprain in the AC joint of his left shoulder, according to an MRI performed on Monday. Sources close to the team indicated that the injury is not serious and that Mayfield was lucky not to suffer major damage. Mayfield’s participation in Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals is still uncertain, but there are no long-term concerns. Mayfield was injured during the Buccaneers’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, their third consecutive loss, which left them with a 6-5 record on the season. After leading the Buccaneers on an offensive drive that culminated in a touchdown at the end of the second quarter, Mayfield was attended to in the team’s medical tent. Although his return was initially considered doubtful due to the injury, he returned to the field for Tampa Bay’s next offensive drive.

Coach Todd Bowles commented: “When he leaves the field, he is obviously very affected because he is a tough guy. You could see it on his face when he left the field, you knew something had happened.” After attempting a long pass on the last play of the first half from Tampa Bay’s 37-yard line with 5 seconds remaining, Mayfield fell to the ground, again showing signs of pain. He was ruled out to return after halftime and was then ruled out in the third quarter. He was seen on the bench with his left arm in a sling. Teddy Bridgewater entered the game instead. Bridgewater would be Tampa Bay’s starter if Mayfield, who has led the Bucs to two consecutive NFC South Division titles, couldn’t play. Bowles said on Monday that losing Mayfield would be a “big loss because of the way he has been playing and leading the team in recent weeks, and even last year”.

“At the same time, we all have confidence in Teddy. We know what he can do and we know the level of confidence he brings as well. He’s a different kind of energy, but one that we all feed off of and look forward to.”

Todd Bowles

Bridgewater completed 8 of 15 passes for 62 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions, while Mayfield had completed 9 of 19 passes for 41 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Bowles added: “He’s a different quarterback, so schematically, we’re going to have to do some different things to make him comfortable on offense and do a lot of things he likes. There are some similarities, but there are also some differences to make him more comfortable. He’s been here long enough that, if he had to play, we can adjust it the right way so he can be successful.” Mayfield has never missed a game as a starter in his three seasons with the Bucs, starting all 45 regular season games so far. The last time he missed a game due to injury was with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, when he suffered a high ankle sprain. The last time Bridgewater was a starter was in 2022 with the Miami Dolphins, in a 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots.