Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, his wife, Emily Wilkinson, and their pet dog, Fergus, evacuated their Florida home Tuesday night before Hurricane Idalia made landfall.
Wilkinson posted the news early Wednesday in an Instagram Story: “Thanks for all the well wishes & prayers! Baker, Fergus, and I did evacuate last night and moved inland a bit. We’re safe & just praying for everyone enduring even harsher parts of the storm.”
Idalia made landfall Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. ET in Florida’s Big Bend near Keaton Beach, less than 200 miles north of Tampa on Florida’s west coast.
The storm came ashore as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.
Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina lie in Idalia’s projected path, while Florida deals with a record-setting storm surge and flooding in coastal areas.
Forecasters predict Idalia will punish the Carolinas overnight as a tropical storm.
Mayfield and Wilkinson moved to the Tampa area after he signed a one-year contract in March worth up to $8.5 million with the Buccaneers.
Head coach Todd Bowles announced Mayfield will be the Buccaneers’ Week 1 starting quarterback after the former No. 1 pick beat out Kyle Trask for the right to replace Tom Brady, who retired in February.
Mayfield will lead the Bucs into their Week 1 matchup when Tampa Bay visits the Vikings on Sept. 10.
