Steelers Now
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a last-minute decision to sit another key starter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said every starter will play against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend, outside of veteran wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David. However, he has since added another player to that list.
After reviewing the tape of the Buccaneers and Steelers joint practice, Bowles believed quarterback Baker Mayfield played so well that he will not play in Saturday night’s game, either.
After reviewing the tape of today’s practice, Todd Bowles just told me he believes Baker Mayfield played so well today in the joint workout with the Steelers he will NOT play in Saturday night’s game.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 15, 2025
While it certainly helps Pittsburgh’s chances of winning the game, it likely isn’t what the team was hoping for as it prepares for the start of the 2025 season.
Mayfield would have given the Steelers defense a much better look than Kyle Trask and Tampa Bay’s other backup quarterbacks will.
Mayfield has sneakily been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL since joining the Buccaneers in 2023, passing for 8,544 yards, 69 touchdowns and 26 interceptions over the past two seasons.
Pittsburgh is already very familiar with Mayfield. The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, who he played for from 2018-21.
During that span, Mayfield ended the Browns’ 17-year playoff drought and knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs.
However, Pittsburgh won’t get the opportunity to face Mayfield for a while now. The two teams are not scheduled to meet again this season, unless they both reach the Super Bowl.
While that isn’t completely out of the realm of possibilities, that scenario does seem unlikely.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Buccaneers to Sit Another Key Starter vs. Steelers
