Baker Mayfield furthered his captivating tenure in Tampa Bay with a three-touchdown performance on Sunday, leading the Buccaneers to a dominant 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was another example of how the veteran quarterback's arrival has made the franchise's transition from the Tom Brady era rather seamless. Mayfield spoke on that subject two weeks ago during an appearance on the "Casa de Klub" podcast, saying Brady's presence stressed a "high-strung environment" and that he was brought in to "bring the joy back to football, for guys who weren't having as much fun."
Those comments made for an interesting setting in Tampa on Sunday with Brady there to call the game on FOX. Of course, Brady was asked about Mayfield's initial comments during the broadcast and spoke on a mentality that earned seven Super Bowl rings across the most illustrious career the NFL has ever seen.
"I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings," Brady said in the booth, via ESPN. "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 [Mike] Evans -- there's high expectations for us. We got to make sure we go out there and deliver."
Following the win, Mayfield wanted to clear up what he said about his predecessor and that he meant no disrespect to the future Hall of Famer.
"I think a lot of that got taken out of context," Mayfield said, via team transcript. "None of it was personal by any means. It's just what he demanded of the guys and that's the aura of Tom Brady. That's what he did to bring a championship here. [It's] nothing personal, but yeah, [we were] talking before the game. He's obviously happy for me and he knows the guys. 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 experiences with a guy like that."
Upon learning what Brady said during his call postgame, Mayfield found Brady's comment amusing but maintained his belief on the matter.
"Like I said, a lot of things got taken out of context," Mayfield said. "He did it his own way and that's why he has seven rings. Not much else needs to be said."
Despite any perceived drama, Mayfield's performance influenced plenty of compliments from Brady during the broadcast. Mayfield, who finished 30-of-47 passing for 347 yards, accounted for his team's first three touchdown scores (two passing, one rushing), catapulting the Buccaneers into an early lead and maintained dominance by smoothly operating a fruitful offense through four quarters.
It was a display that has had Tampa Bay beaming with excitement since giving Mayfield a chance on a one-year contract last season. A playoff appearance and a Pro Bowl trip later, the Buccaneers went all in on the affable QB, signing Mayfield to a three-year, $115 million contract.
Mayfield and Tampa Bay's last Super Bowl-winning QB were uttered in the same breath by happenstance on Sunday. Surely they hope it won't be the last time.
