Bucs' Baker Mayfield Reveals He Played Through Sprained Knee Injury Suffered in Week 2 in 2025

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Baker Mayfield made a revelation that could explain his struggles during the 2025 season.

During this season of Netflix's Quarterback docuseries, Mayfield revealed that he had been playing through a sprained MCL and PCL in his knee since Week 2. He also dealt with a bruised bicep contusion and later suffered a shoulder injury in a Week 12 loss against the Los Angeles Rams.

Greg Auman of Fox Sports noted that Mayfield was listed on injury reports for 10 weeks during the 2025 campaign, but he didn't miss a game:

Mayfield had the best year of his career in 2024, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. Despite playing in all 17 games during the 2025 campaign, his numbers dropped across the board with 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and a 63.2 percent completion rate. The Bucs went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

The 2026 season is the final year of Mayfield's contract. During Monday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, "I would think the Buccaneers will definitely be working to try to get a deal done with Baker," though he noted that "there's some ground to make up."

If Mayfield is back at full strength, the Bucs would be wise to keep him in the fold as their franchise quarterback. When healthy, he's proven to be a reliable starter who can help Tampa Bay compete with the elite teams in the NFL.