Baker Mayfield’s injury has pushed the Buccaneers into the kind of quarterback conversation teams usually try to avoid, but Tampa Bay may not have much choice now.
Mayfield’s dislocated right thumb could cost him significant time, and that leaves the winless Buccaneers staring at a messy decision. Rookie undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels is next in line, but the source here makes clear he may not be ready for a stretch of starts. If Tampa Bay stays the course with its current options, a rough season could even put the club in range for a top-five draft pick and a chance to look for Mayfield’s replacement in April.
There’s also the contract reality. The Buccaneers gave Mayfield a three-year, $165 million extension, so moving on quickly would bring salary cap complications.
Even so, the idea of a trade isn’t off the table, especially if another team sees value in taking Mayfield on. The bigger point is simple: Tampa Bay should be thinking about quarterback options, not just protecting Mayfield’s feelings.
That’s why a move for a veteran bridge type makes sense, and Arizona’s Gardner Minshew II is named as the ideal fit. He wouldn’t come with big upside, but he would be good enough to keep the Buccaneers from spiraling into top-10 draft territory and forcing a Mayfield replacement search in April.
Jason Licht should also be on the phone with Colts GM Chris Ballard about Anthony Richardson Sr., the 2023 No. 4 pick who is now backing up Daniel Jones. Richardson reportedly improved in the preseason, and a fresh start could help him get back on track.
If the Vikings could get a fifth-round pick for J.J. McCarthy, the argument goes, Indianapolis could probably get the same kind of return for Richardson.
The situation around McCarthy is a reminder of how quickly quarterback plans can change. The article says it wouldn’t make sense for John Harbaugh to rip the starting job away from Winston and rush McCarthy onto the field.
It also says McCarthy’s development in Minnesota lagged, that he was slow to learn from his mistakes, and that he was not ready to be a full-time starter in his second season. The Vikings eventually added Kyler Murray this past offseason, and after losing the job, McCarthy didn’t even stay on as the backup.
Carson Wentz was the safer choice, and McCarthy is now in New York learning a new playbook.
For the Giants, the advice is to stay with Winston for now. New York is 2-1, has winnable games coming against the Cardinals and Commanders, and Winston still gives the offense a vertical threat even if he can be wild with the football.
McCarthy, by comparison, has completed 57.6% of his career passes, and defenses likely wouldn’t respect him the same way, which could matter for Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. The bottom line: McCarthy still has to earn playing time with his new team.
The Lions are in a very different kind of mess. Detroit has scored 31 points in all three games and still hasn’t looked clean enough to separate from opponents.
The season opener was a 31-30 win over the Saints after the Lions blew a three-touchdown lead, and the article calls them fortunate to survive a game clouded by questionable officiating. That was followed by a 41-31 loss to the Bills and then a 31-24 win over the Jets in which the game was tied with less than five minutes left.
The offense is doing its part. The defense isn’t.
Detroit’s next two games are against Carolina and Arizona, but even a steady stream of wins may not be enough to erase the “pretenders” tag unless defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard makes immediate fixes. More one-score games could be coming.
The Chargers, meanwhile, are simply doing what too many seasons in their recent history have done: disappointing early. They’re 0-3, and while this version of the collapse may be more severe than expected, the article says few people had them penciled in as a Super Bowl team anyway, even with the popular hiring of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Houston was supposed to be the sexy contrarian pick. Three weeks ago, the Texans were getting real Super Bowl buzz from people looking past the Rams hype, but now they’re winless.
C.J. Stroud has been inconsistent, Nico Collins is out and may not return soon, and the offense has not held up its end.
The defense is still good enough to matter, but the article points out that last season showed how far a dominant defense can take a team without enough help on offense.
The Texans already sit with the No. 2 pick in the draft, and the article suggests that landing a top pick might actually help them solve some of their offensive problems and stop wasting a strong defense. Heading into Week 4, Houston is called the league’s biggest disappointment.
In Other News...
Bucs Slow Start Could Force Jason Licht Into A Tough Deadline Call
A 0-3 start has put Tampa Bay in a familiar but uncomfortable spot, with the Buccaneers now staring at the possibility that this season could turn quickly from early disappointment into a bigger organizational decision. General manager Jason Licht has built enough credibility to get patience, but when a team opens like this, the conversation naturally shifts from fixing the present to protecting the future.
If the losses keep piling up before the November 10 trade deadline, Tampa Bay could be forced to weigh a reset that would send veteran players into the market and bring draft capital back the other way. Names like Vita Vea and Chris Godwin Jr. have already surfaced in that kind of speculation, which says plenty about how quickly a slow start can change the conversation around a roster. For the Bucs, the next few weeks may determine whether this becomes a short-term slump or the start of a much tougher recalibration. [Read more 🡒]
Bruce Arians Sends Baker Mayfield A Blunt Warning Buccaneers Fans Will Feel
Baker Mayfields rough start has put the focus back on the way he plays the position, and Bruce Arians is not exactly soft-pedaling the message. The former Buccaneers coach said Mayfield needs to be willing to throw the ball away more often and play with a little more restraint, especially as he works his way back from a dislocated thumb.
Arians framed it as a matter of survival as much as style, pointing to Mayfields aggressive running habits and the toll that can take over a season. For Tampa Bay, the warning lands with extra weight because the quarterbacks ability to stay on the field and protect the football could shape everything that comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Gerald McCoy Just Hit A Nerve For Frustrated Bucs Fans
Gerald McCoy knows what the Buccaneers expect from a defense, and he did not hold back during a recent appearance on ESPNs This is Football. The former Tampa Bay defensive tackle pointed to what he sees as shaky coaching direction on that side of the ball, especially the decision to ask pass rushers to drop into coverage, while also raising questions about why pass rusher David Walker has not seen more of the field.
McCoys criticism landed because it came against the backdrop of another sluggish start, with the offense also drawing his concern as the Bucs slipped to 0-3. For a fan base already looking for answers, hearing a longtime franchise figure voice those same frustrations only sharpened the conversation around how much of this is about personnel and how much is about the way the team is being used. [Read more 🡒]