The Buccaneers may have stumbled onto a quarterback decision they didn’t expect to be making this soon.
After Tampa Bay’s 24-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, rookie Jalon Daniels had more than enough support to make Baker Mayfield’s hold on the starting job look shaky. Former Buccaneers Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy made that plain on “Speakeasy,” where he shut down the idea of simply giving the job back to Mayfield when he returns.
“No shot. No shot.
No deal. No deal,” McCoy said.
Daniels backed up the noise with production. He went 19 of 25 for 189 yards and a touchdown, and he did it without turning the ball over. That kind of clean outing helped lift the previously winless Buccaneers to their first victory of the season.
McCoy pointed to Mayfield’s contract situation, but he made it clear he thinks Daniels has changed the conversation.
“Listen, I know ya'll pay Baker Mayfield and all that, but this young boy… I know they pay Baker, but the Baker deal ain't crazy. I think it's like two years type of thing,” McCoy said.
He wasn’t the only former player pressing the issue. Asante Samuel said Todd Bowles has a major call to make, and he didn’t soften his stance on the “Say What Needs To Be Said” podcast.
“Baker Mayfield shouldn’t see the field again as long as Jalon Daniels is a healthy athlete. Who cares if Baker Mayfield was just given a new contract? The proof is right there,” Samuel said.
“Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense are legit. So who does the finger point to after Tampa Bay getting their first win of the season against one of the top offenses in the NFL? Who does that finger point to?
“As the X factor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers… After watching and witnessing what everybody's just witnessed, Todd Bowles and the general manager, they need to go ahead and count that money as dead money and save the season.”
That’s the financial wrinkle hanging over everything. The Buccaneers gave Mayfield a three-year, $165 million extension in September, with $120 million in total guarantees and $70 million fully guaranteed at signing.
In Other News...
Bucs Face A Chase McLaughlin Decision Fans Can Already Debate
PewterReportTV has added a fresh wrinkle to the offseason conversation with a new video series, Bucs Cap Convo, and the latest episode zeroes in on one of the more interesting roster questions sitting in front of Tampa Bay. With salary cap expert Josh Queipo breaking down the numbers on the channels YouTube page, the focus turns to Chase McLaughlin and what his place on the team means as general manager Jason Licht and assistant general manager Mike Greenberg continue sorting through cap priorities.
It is not the flashiest issue on the board, but it is the kind of decision that can matter when a team is trying to keep its operation steady year after year. McLaughlins value is now part of the broader conversation around how Tampa Bay allocates money, and this episode gives fans a closer look at the thinking behind that process while leaving plenty of room for debate about where the kicking situation is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Rookies Are Giving Todd Bowles A Defense Fans Can Trust
The Buccaneers defense has been one of the steadier parts of the 2026 season, and a big reason for that is the way the rookie class has stepped in and looked comfortable from the start. Josiah Trotter and Keionte Scott have both carved out real roles for Todd Bowles, giving Tampa Bay more speed, more range and a little more reliability on a unit that has helped drive the teams success.
Against the Cowboys, that young group again showed why the Bucs feel better about this side of the ball than they did a year ago. Tampa Bay kept Dallas offense in check and leaned on the kind of coverage and tackling that can travel, with Trotter and Scott right in the middle of it. For Bowles, its turning into the kind of early-season foundation defenses usually need, even if there is still more for these rookies to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Have A Real Emeka Egbuka Problem After This Start
Emeka Egbuka arrived in Tampa Bay with the kind of early-career momentum that usually buys a receiver some room to work through a rough patch. Instead, the first five weeks of his second NFL season have put a spotlight on how sharply his production has fallen from the standard he set as a rookie, and it has left him looking like the least efficient pass catcher on a Buccaneers offense that has needed more dependable answers from him.
There have still been a few encouraging snaps and plays along the way, but the broader picture is hard to miss when compared with what he did a year ago. Egbuka has not matched the same burst, the same impact on chunk gains, or the same consistency that made him such a promising piece of Tampa Bays receiver group, and until that changes, his role in the offense will keep drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. [Read more 🡒]