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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff WriterSep 29, 2024, 06:03 PM ET
- Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN. She started covering the Bucs for ESPN in 2016, but she has covered the team since 2009. Follow Jenna on Twitter: @JennaLaineESPN.
TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said after his team’s 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday that he believes his comments about Tom Brady on a podcast were misinterpreted.
He said he meant no disrespect to the seven-time Super Bowl winner who was on the call for Sunday’s game for Fox Sports, his first trip back to Tampa as an analyst.
“I think a lot of that got taken out of context, and none of it was personal by any means,” said Mayfield, who led four touchdown drives in the victory. “It’s just what he demanded of the guys, and that’s the aura of Tom Brady. And that’s what he did to bring a championship here.
“Nothing personal, but yeah, talking before the game, he’s obviously happy for me and he knows the guys, so he knows how much I enjoy throwing to Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin] [because] he got to do the same. It’s fun to be able to talk about the same experience with a guy like that.”
Former Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was back in Tampa to broadcast Sunday’s game between his former team and the Eagles. After the game, Mayfield said his comments on a podcast that were perceived as a dig at Brady were “taken out of context.” Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Appearing on the “Casa de Klub” podcast with Corey Kluber and Tyler Casagrande just over a week ago, Mayfield took a playful jab at Brady. Speaking to the differences in their personalities, he said Brady’s intensity made for a stressed-out locker room.
“The building was a little bit different with Tom in there,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out. … They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football, for guys who weren’t having as much fun.”
When discussing the situation on Sunday’s broadcast, Brady said, “I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings. So, there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work every day. This wasn’t daycare. If I was going to have fun, I’d go to Disneyland with my kids.
“There’s a way to approach this game and it’s with the right mindset to try to push each other outside our comfort zone, and great teammates do that. You come, I have someone like [Rob] Gronkowski, I have someone like Evans — there’s high expectations for us. We got to make sure we go out there and deliver.”
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Brady’s broadcast partner Kevin Burkhardt responded, “The competitive juices are still flowing,” with Brady responding, “Still in there. No apologies.”
Mayfield laughed when he heard Brady’s “daycare” comment after the game.
“Like I said — some things got taken out of context,” Mayfield said. “He did it his own way and that’s why he has seven rings. So, not much else needs to be said.”
Brady also revealed in the broadcast that the Chicago Bears were “very stealth in their recruitment” and he “seriously considered” signing with them before choosing the Bucs as a free agent in 2020.
Brady’s return to Tampa included spotlighting him in the booth on the jumbotron, where he was greeted with a standing ovation with two minutes to go before halftime. Brady smiled and waved as his familiar walkout song, “PSA” by Jay-Z, played over the speakers.
“It’s amazing,” said Evans, who also became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer Sunday with a first-quarter touchdown. “I guess he gave us some good luck today. The last time we played the Eagles with him was a playoff game that we won [2021 wild-card round), so I guess it just brought back good memories and everybody felt like that too.”
