President Donald Trump is expected to be on hand for a notable Week 6 matchup Sunday, Oct. 18, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium.
CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes reported that Trump is “expected to attend” the game in Tampa. The appearance would come just a couple of weeks after he went to the Tennessee-Texas college football game.
Trump’s last Steelers game came almost two years ago during the 2024 season, when Pittsburgh faced the New York Jets. Aaron Rodgers was with the Jets then.
The game carries some real weight for both teams. Tampa Bay is coming off its first win of the season after knocking off the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, and it did so with undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels starting in place of the injured Baker Mayfield. If the Buccaneers are going to stay in the hunt for the division, this is the kind of game they need.
Pittsburgh arrives with some momentum of its own after bouncing back from a narrow Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers handled the Indianapolis Colts 34-22 in Week 5.
Rodgers has been rolling lately. He’s thrown three touchdowns in each of his last three games, giving him 10 on the season against four interceptions. He also ranks 11th in the NFL in passing yards with 1,234.
Trump has spent plenty of time around sports this year. He famously attended the New York Knicks’ only loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in June 2026, though the Knicks responded by winning the next two games and claiming their first championship in 53 years. The Buccaneers will be hoping Sunday doesn’t follow that same script.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Are Stuck In A Debate Fans Know Too Well
A familiar kind of unease has settled over Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers stumbled to a 1-4 start in 2026, the sort of opening that tends to drag old questions back into the conversation. This is a franchise that has lived through plenty of extremes over the years, from lean stretches to the high points of Super Bowl runs under Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and, more recently, Tom Brady, so the mood around the team can turn quickly when the results do.
Todd Bowles has kept insisting there is still time for the season to swing back in the right direction, and that optimism is part of what makes the current debate so recognizable for Buccaneers fans. The frustration is real, both in the locker room and in the stands, but so is the sense that this team has seen enough swings before to know the story is not fully written yet. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield's Push To Return Has Bucs Fans Watching One Thing
Baker Mayfields recovery from a dislocated thumb has become one of the bigger watch items around the Buccaneers this week, with his status for Tampa Bays Week 6 matchup against the Steelers still unsettled. Todd Bowles has said he expects rookie Jalon Daniels to start again if Mayfield cannot go, which leaves the Bucs preparing as if they may need to ride with the young quarterback for a third straight game.
Mayfield is reportedly pushing to return sooner than originally anticipated, but the final call will come down to the medical staff and how the thumb responds as he heals. The real test is whether he can handle the football without pain and get the grip he needs to operate normally, and until that happens, Tampa Bay is stuck waiting on the most basic question of all: whether its starter is ready. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Risky Baker Mayfield Decision Against Pittsburgh
Baker Mayfields status has become one of the more delicate decisions facing Tampa Bay as it weighs whether to bring its quarterback back for the Steelers. Mayfield is still working his way back from the dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3, and the Buccaneers have at least seen a capable stopgap in Jalon Daniels, who steadied the offense well enough to help them pick up their first win of the season.
The problem is the balance between urgency and caution. Rushing Mayfield back could leave Tampa Bay vulnerable if the thumb is not ready for full game action, yet sticking with the current setup raises its own questions about how much the offense can grow without its starter. With Pittsburgh on deck, the Buccaneers are in the awkward spot of trying to protect both their quarterback and their momentum at the same time. [Read more 🡒]