Baker Mayfield Had Words For Teammate Who Defied The Odds Making The Buccaneers’ 53-Man Roster

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will continue to have Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL season, but there will be a new face behind him as his backup.

The Buccaneers decided to go with only two quarterbacks on their final 53-man roster heading into the new campaign, and it’s going to be rookie Jalon Daniels. 

The former Kansas Jayhawks star signal-caller beat out Jake Browning and holdover Connor Bazelak for the chief backup role behind Mayfield. It is quite an achievement already for Daniels, who did not even hear his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. But he defied the odds and is now a major insurance policy at quarterback for Tampa Bay.

Baker Mayfield Sends Message to Buccaneers QB Who Earned 53-Man Roster SpotFeb 5, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Baker Mayfield and Emily Wilkinson on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 23-year-old Daniels impressed a lot of people with his performance in the preseason, leading the team to five scoring drives in their two victories over the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs. Overall in the preseason, he went 27/44 for 239 passing yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions, while adding 37 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Mayfield had nothing but good words to say about his backup.

“I’m proud of Jalon. I think he took tremendous steps from the first time I met him in the off-season to now,” Mayfield said of his teammate while talking to reporters on Sunday, via  Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“He played his tail off, worked hard, worked on some of the things the coaches wanted to get done out of him, for him to progress with … I’m really excited for him.”

For what it’s worth, Mayfield has appeared in all games for Tampa Bay since becoming a Buc in 2023.

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay quarterback Mayfield (6) leaves the field after defeating the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesRelated content

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