Buccaneers Need Their Own J.J. McCarthy–Like Trade After Baker Mayfield’s Injury

For certain teams, it doesn’t hurt to take a flyer on a recent first-round pick who has fallen out of favor with the team that drafted them.

Perhaps the Giants weren’t the right team to make the trade for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, but a few other teams should have pulled the trigger on that trade, which only required sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Vikings.

Rarely does it hurt to have options at quarterback, especially with the number of injuries that have piled up at the position this season. The McCarthy trade reminds me of when the Rams claimed Baker Mayfield after the 2018 No. 1 pick was waived by the Panthers in ’22. At the time, Matthew Stafford had sustained a concerning spinal cord contusion injury, and there were no guarantees he would be back to top form the following season. So, L.A. explored its options and received an entertaining five-game stint from Mayfield. In the end, Stafford returned to form, and Mayfield found a long-term home with the Buccaneers. No harm, no foul with what the Rams did.

However, now might be the time for the Buccaneers to explore QB options after the injury to Mayfield. Let’s start this week’s NFL Fact or Fiction with a brewing dilemma in Tampa Bay.

Buccaneers need their own McCarthy-like trade after Mayfield’s injury

If Mayfield’s dislocated right thumb forces him to miss extensive time, he should consider encouraging the winless Buccaneers to make a trade for the right kind of reliable quarterback, one who wouldn’t threaten his status with the team.

Currently, rookie undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels is in line to replace Mayfield. He likely isn’t ready to start a handful of games, and his inexperience might put the Buccaneers in the mix to land a top-five pick in the draft, which they could then use to select Mayfield’s replacement.

Enduring a miserable 2026 season, however, might not be a bad idea for the organization with how poorly Mayfield has played this season. Then again, the Buccaneers gave Mayfield a three-year, $165 million extension, and ditching that kind of contract abruptly could create hefty salary cap ramifications. Still, this wouldn’t be the first time a team attempted to replace its starting quarterback quickly after agreeing to a lucrative contract extension. And there’s always a possibility of another team wanting Mayfield in a trade.

A trade for a journeyman such as Arizona’s Gardner Minshew II would be ideal. Minshew doesn’t have the threat of upside (like Jaxson Dart’s new teammate), and he’s good enough to win enough games to ensure the Buccaneers don’t land a top-10 pick and contemplate drafting Mayfield’s replacement in April.

But the Buccaneers shouldn’t overly think about what’s best for Mayfield, especially not when he has more turnovers (five) than total touchdowns (three) through three games this season. GM Jason Licht should call up Colts GM Chris Ballard and ask about Anthony Richardson Sr., the 2023 No. 4 pick who’s now serving as Daniel Jones’s backup. Richardson improved in the preseason, and a change of scenery could help him get back on track toward reaching his potential.

If the Vikings can get a fifth-rounder for McCarthy, Ballard could probably do the same for Richardson. For the Buccaneers, it might be at least worth a phone call, even if it means upsetting Mayfield. Or ride out this bumpy season with the current quarterback options and let the chips fall where they may.

Manzano’s view: Fact

New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston — Giants quarterback Jameis Winston passed for 118 yards and no touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Giants should start McCarthy immediately over Jameis Winston

It wouldn’t make much sense for coach John Harbaugh to immediately take the starting job from Winston and rush McCarthy onto the field.

It didn’t work out for McCarthy in Minnesota in large part because he was slow in his development and moved at a snail’s pace when it came to learning from his mistakes. He wasn’t ready to be the full-time starter in his second season, which led to the Vikings adding Kyler Murray this past offseason. You could argue that McCarthy was practically a rookie last season because his true rookie season was cut short due to a knee injury sustained in 2024. But he’s two years removed from the injury, and the Vikings didn’t even feel the need to make him the backup after losing the job to Murray. Carson Wentz was the safer option, and now McCarthy is in New York, learning a new playbook.

For now, it would be best for the Giants to stick with Winston, especially with a 2–1 record and winnable games against the Cardinals and Commanders. Winston can be erratic and has issues protecting the football, but he’s always a threat to hit downfield plays. With McCarthy, he has only completed 57.6% of his passes in his career. Defenses likely wouldn’t give McCarthy as much respect as they do Winston, and that could affect the opportunities for Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo.

McCarthy needs to earn his playing time with his new team.

Manzano’s view: Fiction

Lions shouldn’t be taken seriously until they improve defensively

I don’t know what to make of the Lions being 2–1.

They blew a three-touchdown lead to the Saints in their 31–30 season-opening victory, a home game they were lucky to win due to questionable officiating. That was followed by an ugly 41–31 road loss to the Bills and a narrow 31–24 home victory against the Jets that was tied with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.

Again, it’s tough to get a read on the Lions, but it’s become obvious that they need drastic improvements on the defensive side. Detroit’s offense has scored 31 points in all three games, and somehow that wasn’t enough to win games dominantly. Instead, the team has two lucky one-score wins, and the explosive offense wasn’t enough to hang in Buffalo because of the shaky defense.

Even if the Lions rack up victories amid a feasible schedule, that might not be enough to shed the “pretenders” label if defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard doesn’t make immediate corrections. Detroit faces Carolina and Arizona in the next two games. Don’t be surprised if this team finds itself in more one-score games.

Manzano’s view: Fact

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh — Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is winless after hiring Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chargers are the most disappointing team in the NFL

We have come to expect this kind of disappointment from the 0–3 Chargers every year. Maybe not this drastically and not this soon in the season, but let’s be real: Not many expected this team to win a Super Bowl, even with the popular hiring of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

Three weeks ago, the Texans were a trendy Super Bowl pick for those refusing to follow the masses with the Rams’ preseason hype. Now they’re winless with an inconsistent quarterback (C.J. Stroud) who doesn’t have his best weapon (Nico Collins) on the field and might not be back any time soon.

Maybe it’s too soon to fork the winless Texans because they were in this spot last year at 0–3 and leaned on their dominant defense to win 12 of their final 14 regular-season games to advance to the divisional round of the postseason. But we found out last year that simply having a dominant defense isn’t enough to win a Super Bowl.

The Texans currently have the No. 2 pick in the draft. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to land a top pick to find ways to elevate the offense and provide more help for a defense that’s being wasted in Houston.

With the high expectations, the Texans are the league’s biggest disappointment heading into Week 4.

Manzano’s view: Fiction

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