Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has embraced the difficult assignment 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 hot start in 2024.
Despite his recent success, Mayfield has done things his way, not Brady’s way. The 29-year-old quarterback appeared on the ‘Casa De Klub podcast’ earlier this week and spoke about the aforementioned ‘culture’ that Brady left behind in Tampa.
Baker Mayfield suggests Tom Brady ‘stressed out’ team
On the podcast, Mayfield said, ‘The building was a little bit different with Tom in there. Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out.’
Mayfield went on to say, ‘You hear some of the stories about if he didn’t like a certain play call and he didn’t like it throughout the week and they still call it in the game, there might have been a throwaway on purpose or throwing it at the running back or receiver’s feet. There were a lot of mind games going on.’
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The Buccaneers are a rejuvenated team, and it shows every week. When Brady retired, there were concerns the team would lose relevance, but Mayfield has made that impossible. On the podcast, Mayfield added, ‘Front office guys and Coach Bowles were all saying, just be yourself. That’s all we want you to be.’
Though it’s unproven that Brady intentionally threw passes at the feet of his wide receivers, there were enough instances – particularly in Brady’s final season – to make one speculate. At that point, 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 eagerly await to hear if Brady will respond to Mayfield’s comments.
Winning is familiar territory for the Buccaneers. The culture instilled in Tampa Bay when Brady joined the team has continued since his retirement. The Bucs are the only NFC team that have reached the playoffs in the past four seasons and are coming off their third consecutive NFC South title. Last postseason, Mayfield led Tampa Bay to an upset over the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round to give them their sixth playoff win over the past four seasons. Only the Kansas City Chiefs have more over this span.
Mayfield is a former No. 1 overall pick coming off his best season in the NFL, and only Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints has a better QBR through the first two weeks in 2024. Mayfield was drafted in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns, and when he signed with Tampa Bay before 2023, it marked his fourth team in three years. The Bucs signed him for a bargain, and he went out and posted a career-high 4,044 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns.
Mayfield has brought a new authentic energy to the franchise that didn’t exist even when Brady was leading the team. Baker’s teammates have commented on his relatability compared to Brady. He is often seen publicly with his teammates, which Brady could never do because of his celebrity status.
When Mayfield signed with Tampa Bay before the 2023 season, he adamantly recognized Brady as the greatest. 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 did, and obviously people around here have worked with him, so I’m going to try and pick their brain about how he did it, how he operated and certain things that were the difference-makers and who he is.’
He continued, ‘I’m excited about it. Those are big shoes to fill, but I’m just going to try and wear my own.’ One year later, Mayfield has delivered and has done so 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 at the helm of another playoff hunt for the Buccaneers.
Baker Mayfield 2024 stats (through Week 2)
474 passing yards (11th)
5 passing touchdowns (tied 1st)
1 interception (tied 19th)
68.8 QBR (6th)