Baker Mayfield's injury revelation should be a boost of confidence for Bucs fans

Can the NFL retroactively award Baker Mayfield the ironman title for the 2025-26 season? According to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, he led the team with multiple injuries from Week 2 onwards and still balled out.

Mayfield revealed in the latest season of Netflix's Quarterback series he played through MCL and PCL sprains in his knee, adding he also suffered a "biceps contusion" in his throwing arm and a left shoulder injury. The 31-year-old appeared on NFL injury reports in 10 separate weeks but the severity of those ailments were apparently never truly known. Here's a quick breakdown:

• Week 3: foot/toe
• Week 4: right bicep
• Week 5: right knee/biceps
• Week 8: knee
• Week 10: knee/oblique
• Week 12: illness
• Week 13: left shoulder
• Week 14: left shoulder
• Week 15: left shoulder
• Week 18: right shoulder/knee

"Pain is miserable, but toughness shows how bad you want something," he told the documentary camera defiantly.

You could call his tenacity reckless considering Tampa Bay fell off toward the end of the season (2-7 after a 6-2 start) but fans should actually feel good about what they saw.

Baker Mayfield's toughness is something to be celebrated not critiqued

Mayfield is essentially in a damned if he did, damned if he didn't situation. Folks are going to criticize him for playing through so many injuries because it impacted his team's performance and, arguably, cost it a playoff spot. Well, had he held himself out for most of those 10 weeks he was injured, then Tampa Bay still would've ended the year 8-9 or worse with backup Teddy Bridgewater at the helm.

Instead, fans should be excited to know that Mayfield was playing at a decently high level when injured. Tampa Bay was still in the playoff race by Week 18 and had he been at 100 percent, the Buccaneers would've represented the NFC South without a doubt.

Mayfield looks like he's moving just fine now. He showed off his signature "dougie" dance at the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada over the weekend. There didn't appear to be any mobility issues or limitations as he got down in front of the crowd.

Realistic expectations for healthy Baker Mayfield and Buccaneers in 2026

With Mayfield back to full strength for this year, fans' expectations should be back to the level they were when the team was 6-2 through the first half of the year last season. Anything less and pundits have permission to question whether Mayfield is beginning to lose his touch, considering we've seen how well he can sling the ball when suffering multiple ailments.

Tampa Bay's schedule is rather favorable with five of the team's first nine games ahead of its bye week being very winnable contests (Cleveland, Minnesota, Pittsburgh Carolina and Atlanta). Should Mayfield and Co. head into the break with a record worse than 5-4 then it's a clear underperformance. Given what we've seen from Mayfield when he's healthy, there should be an upset or two against the four opponents they may be expected to fall to (Cincinnati, Green Bay, Dallas and Chicago).

The Buccaneers finish the season with eight tough contests but half of them -- all division opponents -- should be in the win column (Carolina, New Orleans x2 and Atlanta). Though the other half of that slate is where Mayfield will be judged (Detroit, Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, and Baltimore). If he can't pull off a win or two against clear playoff contenders, then he and the team will be dismissed as one-and-dones from a weak division.

Individually, Mayfield should exceed his 3,693 passing yards and 26 touchdowns if he's at full strength. It was clear his injuries last year influenced some poor decision making which inflated his turnover numbers to 11 picks and three fumbles. Four thousand passing yards and 30 touchdowns with single-digit turnovers should be his goal in 2026.

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