If the injury news wasn’t bad enough for the Bucs with quarterback Baker Mayfield out for the next few weeks, the team suffered another blow as a key offensive player is set to miss an extended period.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported Monday evening that wide receiver Jalen McMillan will miss about 6-8 weeks after leaving Sunday’s Week 3 game against the Vikings with a knee injury.
Update: It’s a PCL sprain for Bucs wide receiver Jalen McMillan, per source. The second opinion will give much more clarity on the timetable for recovery, but the early thinking is this could be 6-8 weeks, which factors in his previous timetable.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) September 28, 2026
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan Can’t Catch A Break When It Comes To Injuries
After playing just seven offensive snaps in Week 2 against the Browns, Jalen McMillan expected to play more. His goal for that game was to get 30 snaps, which became a mini-saga based on McMillan and Bucs head coach Todd Bowles having different perspectives of where he was at health-wise. All of that is a moot point now, as “J-Mac” went down with a knee injury just three offensive plays into Sunday’s game.
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
It took a Monday MRI and a second opinion to confirm that it was a PCL sprain, and as Jenna Laine noted above, it was a re-aggravation of the injury he suffered in camp to his left knee. He is expected to head to injured reserve given his initial recovery timeline.
This is just the latest unfortunate development that will keep McMillan sidelined. Tampa Bay’s third-round pick in 2024 went on a tear to end his rookie year, but he also missed time that season with a hamstring injury. He finished with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns, with the arrow pointing up for him to get more involved with the offense.
His career would then take a scary turn during the 2025 preseason, when a “hospital ball” from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater led to a nasty fall for McMillan. It was a fall that led three fractured vertebrae and two herniated discs in the young receiver’s neck which kept him out for the first 13 games of last season. Once again, McMillan returned late in year and caught 12 passes for 178 yards.
He had a strong 2026 offseason and appeared primed to make a bigger impact in his third NFL season with Mike Evans leaving for the 49ers in free agency. Now, the 24-year-old wideout will miss another half a season, and while he has flashed in the past, it will be hard for the team to trust him staying available.
He has played in just 19 of 37 regular-season games, and that doesn’t even account for his latest injury.
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Jalen McMillan has had chances to establish himself at full strength given the injuries to other wide receivers in recent years, but he can’t catch a break. Rather than claiming some of the target share for himself, Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and rookie Ted Hurst III will remain at the top of the depth chart.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson already has his work cut out for him to get the unit back on track, and he will now be forced to do it without Baker Mayfield and McMillan for the foreseeable future.
Adam Slivon has covered the Bucs for four seasons with PewterReport.com as a Bucs Beat Writer, Social Media Manager, and Podcaster. Adam started as an intern during his time at the University of Tampa, where he graduated with a degree in Sport Management in May 2023.
In addition to his regular written content, he appears every Thursday on the Pewter Report Podcast, has a weekly YouTube Top 10 Takeaways video series, and leads the managing of the site's social media platforms.
As a Wisconsin native, he spent his childhood growing up on a farm and enjoys Culver's, kringle, and a quality game of cornhole. You can find him most often on X @AdamLivsOn.
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