Today, every healthy Tampa Bay player will report for the Buccaneers’ mandatory minicamp. The camp will last three days and provide the first look at the 2026 Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay is coming off an 8-9 season in 2025. It was the first time the Buccaneers missed the playoffs in the 2020s. The team enters this season looking for a bounce-back campaign, but even with reasons to be hopeful, it still has plenty of questions to answer before the season kicks off in September.
Three Pressing Questions for Buccaneers Mandatory Minicamp
Here are three of the most pressing questions that could begin to be answered this week at the Buccaneers’ mandatory minicamp.
Will Baker Mayfield’s contract extension uncertainty affect his play?
Quarterback Baker Mayfield is headed into the final year of the three-year, $100 million contract he signed after the 2023 season.
A couple of weeks ago, during OTAs, Mayfield said the Buccaneers were not anywhere close to what his representatives were looking for in a contract extension. Mayfield also said his team would not take part in contract negotiations after training camp begins in late July.
Mayfield participated throughout the Buccaneers’ voluntary OTAs over the past several weeks and has not expressed any intention of holding out for a new contract.
However, one might wonder whether the uncertainty will negatively or positively affect Mayfield and the Buccaneers as they prepare for the 2026 season.
Mayfield is coming off his worst season as a Buccaneer. His 3,693 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes were his fewest in three seasons as Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback. He played every game in 2025 despite dealing with shoulder, ankle, oblique, knee, and biceps injuries throughout the year.
He received a vote of confidence from his coach last week.
“Baker’s all business. He’s all about business,” Todd Bowles said. “The contract stuff takes care of itself. That’s the business side of it that you don’t see, that everybody has to deal with, and I’m sure he’ll take care of it, but it doesn’t affect his play.”
Bowles also added that there is “absolutely no question” he wants Mayfield as his long-term quarterback.
Mayfield has succeeded with an uncertain future in Tampa Bay before. He threw for more than 4,000 yards in his first season with the Buccaneers after signing a one-year contract during the 2023 offseason. His play during minicamp could be an early indicator of whether he can have another successful season under pressure in 2026.
Is Tampa Bay’s rookie class ready to make a big impact?
Rookies making an impact has become the norm for Tampa Bay under general manager Jason Licht. The Buccaneers hope their 2026 class can do the same.
A lot of eyes will be on first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. during his first action alongside all of his teammates. The former Miami standout recorded 20.5 sacks in three collegiate seasons. The Buccaneers hope he can provide a boost to a defense that ranked 18th in the NFL with 37 sacks last season.
Second-round pick Josaiah Trotter will also be vying for a key role on defense. The Buccaneers lost franchise legend Lavonte David to retirement this offseason. Without David, the team will turn to returning linebacker SirVocea Dennis, free-agent additions Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom, and Trotter to help fill out the inside linebacker rotation.
Last season at Missouri, Trotter earned first-team All-SEC honors after leading the conference with 84 tackles. He also recorded 13 tackles for loss and two sacks.
On the offensive side of the ball, rookie receiver Ted Hurst could make an immediate impact in 2026. Hurst totaled 1,965 receiving yards at Georgia State over the past two seasons. He is expected to step into the X receiver role, the position occupied by franchise legend Mike Evans for the past 12 seasons.
Fourth-round pick Keonte Scott will not participate because of offseason wrist surgery. Late-round selections DeMonte Capehart, Billy Schrauth, and Bauer Sharp will also have opportunities to show what they can bring to the roster this week.
Who is poised for a bounce-back season?
There are several bounce-back candidates on Tampa Bay’s roster this season.
On defense, cornerback Zyon McCollum stands out. The fifth-year cornerback earned a contract extension after a career-best 2024 season in which he recorded 17 pass breakups and two interceptions. Last season, McCollum finished with six pass breakups and one interception while appearing in 13 games after playing all 17 games in 2024.
If McCollum can return to his 2024 form, it could provide a significant boost to the Buccaneers’ secondary.
On offense, the Buccaneers will be looking for a bounce-back season from running back Bucky Irving. He participated in OTAs for the first time last week after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year.
Irving only took part in individual drills last week. If he is able to participate in team activities during minicamp, it would be a welcome sight for Buccaneers fans. Irving rushed for just 588 yards in nine games last season after totaling 1,122 yards in 17 games during his rookie campaign in 2024.
This week’s minicamp could also reveal new breakout candidates heading into training camp.
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
