# Is Baker Mayfield playing through injuries a big problem for the Buccaneers?

It was a **major problem in 2025**, but the picture looks brighter for 2026.

Here's the breakdown:

**What went wrong in 2025:** Mayfield played through early shoulder and oblique injuries, and his performance cratered. In his first 10 games he threw **26 TDs vs. 11 INTs** with 6.85 YPA. Over the final 8 games (playing through injuries), that plummeted to **9 TDs vs. 8 INTs** and 6.5 YPA (from the Baker Mayfield page). He also reportedly dealt with knee, bicep, and AC joint issues. The ripple effect was brutal — it dragged down the entire passing game, especially rookie WR Emeka Egbuka, who went from a blazing first half to zero touchdowns after Week 9.

**Why 2026 could be different:** Mayfield enters the season **healthy** for the first time in a while. The Bucs also hired **Zac Robinson** as OC, whose scheme (heavy 12-personnel, motion-heavy) is a clean reset from the prior Josh Grizzard disaster that ranked 22nd in scoring. Early minicamp reports show Mayfield already clicking with his TEs — a stark reversal from 2025's zero TE touchdowns before Week 15.

**The expert take:**

> On **Flock Fantasy**, they summed up the split nicely: *"Baker Mayfield through the first six weeks looked pretty damn good... If y'all remember in 2024, people were talking about Baker Mayfield MVP level season."* — [hear the clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrFccrEUIzg&t=1644s)

**Bottom line:** The injury-riddled 2025 was a real problem that sank the Bucs' offense. But with a clean bill of health, a new OC, and stabilized weapons (Godwin, Egbuka, Cade Otton), Mayfield is a bounce-back candidate. Matthew Berry projects him at **QB19** and calls him a solid value pick.

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Answered 2026-07-16 by ChatFFB — fantasy football answers from a live news wiki.
Source: https://chatffb.com/ask/is-baker-mayfield-playing-through-injuries-a-big-problem-for-the-bucca