The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the 2026 season on Sunday. We now know that the Bucs will be distraction-free when the game kicks off, something that was far from reality just a few weeks ago.
First, it was the Vita Vea holdout over contract talks, but that was resolved when the two sides eventually hammered out a one-year extension for the Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
Meanwhile, quarterback Baker Mayfield was also hoping to get an extension done before Week 1, and
it seemed like there was a good chance no deal would be reached.
However, that changed on Tuesday, as Mayfield and the Bucs reached an agreement on a three-year extension. That means the Pro Bowl QB won’t have any distractions when he faces a revamped Bengals defense on Sunday.
Beyond the Vea and Mayfield contract disputes, the Bucs were also dealing with key injuries to wide receivers Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee), which put their Week 1 availability in doubt.
However, both players have practiced this week and look poised to be active on Sunday.
Barring any other injury setbacks, the Bengals will host a healthy and fully focused Bucs team on Sunday in what should be one of the toughest home games of the season.
