Baker Mayfield had his eyes on a return against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback knew his right thumb was not ready.

Mayfield dislocated the thumb in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings when his throwing hand hit linebacker Blake Cashman on a late fourth-down pass. He has missed the last three games since then, with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels starting in his place.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mayfield admitted he pushed his recovery to try to play against Pittsburgh, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. He eventually decided that Daniels gave the Buccaneers a better chance to win.

“Yeah, my goal was Pittsburgh, to be honest with you. I really, really pushed the limit on it and wasn’t able to do it, didn’t feel like I was gonna put our team in a position to have success. Felt like Jalon was gonna be the better option, and so pushed it, and you don’t know until you try it. So this, obviously, with the goal of Pittsburgh and understanding we have two division games right after that, we can settle for that. Obviously, I want to be up there and play with the guys, but yeah, this was kind of the last week that I wanted to be ready to roll,” Mayfield said.

Baker Mayfield said his goal was actually to return for Pittsburgh but he felt he wasn’t 100% and Jalon gave them a better chance to win. pic.twitter.com/GfQZNRD85Z

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 22, 2026

The answer came after a reporter noted that head coach Todd Bowles had talked about a minimum of three games for Mayfield’s absence.

The Steelers game did not go Tampa Bay’s way. The Buccaneers blew a 16-3 fourth-quarter lead and lost 26-19 in overtime, with Daniels throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions that led to Pittsburgh field goals.

Daniels went 1-2 as the starter, highlighted by a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 8. Mayfield praised the rookie for how he handled being “thrown into the fire.”

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Now, Mayfield is expected to start Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, barring any setbacks. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and plans to wear a custom glove with a reinforced pad to protect the thumb.

The timing matters for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers sit at 1-5 and last in the NFC South, while the Panthers lead the division at 3-2.

The Buccaneers will need more from their franchise quarterback if they want to climb back into the race.