Tampa Bay Buccaneers strategist Baker Mayfield has taken on the difficult task of following in the footsteps of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Mayfield kept Tampa in contention in his first season and is off to a blistering start in 2024.
Despite his recent success, Mayfield has done things his way, not Brady’s. The 29-year-old quarterback appeared on the “Casa De Klub” podcast earlier this week and spoke about the aforementioned “culture” Brady left behind in Tampa.
Baker Mayfield suggests Tom Brady ‘stressed’ the team
In the podcast, Mayfield said: “The building was a little different with Tom in there. Obviously, game-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody on edge, a tense environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed.”
Mayfield went on to say, “You hear some stories that if he didn’t like a certain play call and he didn’t like it throughout the week and they still blew the whistle during the game, maybe there was an intentional throw or a throw to the feet of the running back or the receiver. There was a lot of mind games going on.”
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THE The Buccaneers The Red Sox are a rejuvenated team, and it shows every week. When Brady retired, some worried the team would lose its relevance, but Mayfield made that impossible. On the podcast, Mayfield added, “The management guys and Coach Bowles were all saying, just be yourself. That’s all we want you to be.”
While there is no evidence that Brady intentionally threw passes at the feet of his receivers, there were enough instances — particularly in Brady’s final season — to prompt speculation. At the time, Brady was two years older than offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Brady has moved on to the next phase of his career in the broadcast booth. Some NFL fans are eagerly awaiting whether Brady will respond to Mayfield’s comments.
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The Buccaneers are no strangers to winning. The culture instilled in Tampa Bay when Brady joined the team has continued since his retirement. The Bucs are the only NFC team to reach the playoffs in all four seasons and are coming off their third straight NFC South title. Last postseason, Mayfield led Tampa Bay to an upset victory over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round for their sixth playoff victory in the last four seasons. The Kansas City Chiefs to have more about this period.
Mayfield is a former No. 1 overall pick coming off his best season in the NFL, and only Derek Carr New Orleans Saints has a better QBR through the first two weeks in 2024. Mayfield was drafted in 2018 by the Cleveland Brownsand when he signed with Tampa Bay ahead of 2023, it was his fourth team in three years. The Bucs signed him for a steal, and he went out and recorded a career-high 4,044 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns.
Mayfield brought a new, authentic energy to the franchise that wasn’t there even when Brady was leading the team. Baker’s teammates have commented on his resemblance to BradyHe is often seen in public with his teammates, something Brady has never been able to do due to his celebrity status.
When Mayfield signed with Tampa Bay ahead of the 2023 season, he unequivocally acknowledged that Brady was the best. On an episode of NFL Now, Mayfield said, “He’s the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, and he deserves that recognition. I’m going to be myself, and Tom was himself. I respect everything he’s done, and obviously the people here have worked with him, so I’m going to try to ask them how he did it, how he operated and some of the things that made a difference and who he is.”
He continued, “I’m very excited. They’re big shoes to fill, but I’m just going to try to wear mine.” A year later, Mayfield made good on his promise and did so while wearing his own shoes.
Mayfield was rewarded this offseason by signing a three-year, $100 million contract with Tampa Bay and appears to be the leader in another playoff hunt for the Buccaneers.
Baker Mayfield 2024 Stats (Through Week 2)
- 474 passing yards (11th)
- 5 passing touchdowns (tied for 1st)
- 1 interception (19th tied)
- 68.8 QBR (6th)
