Baker Mayfield is off to an interesting start in 2024. He has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers flying higher than most folks expected at 3-1, and he found an odd way to beat the Tampa heat. But lately he ran afoul of Tom the GOAT, making comments Brady didn’t seem to appreciate. However, Mayfield relied on the tried and true “taken out of context” for his controversial comments.

Mayfield said he meant no disrespect for Tom the GOAT, according to espn.com.

“I think a lot of that got taken out of context, and none of it was personal by any means,” said Mayfield. “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.”

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield tries to mend fence with Brady

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scores a touchdown past Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (32) in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Brady retired from the Buccaneers after the 2022 season, apparently leaving a need for an improved locker room atmosphere. Mayfield said tightness caused an issue for the franchise in Brady’s final year according to usatoday.com.

“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.”

Brady responded in typical Tom the GOAT fashion.

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“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings,” Brady chirped. “So, there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work everyday. This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland with my kids.”

But the Buccaneers' Mayfield said he cleared the air with Brady, according to the ESPN story.

“Nothing personal, but yeah, talking before the game, he's obviously happy for me and he knows the guys,” Mayfield said. “So he knows how much I enjoy throwing to Mike (Evans) and Chris (Godwin). He got to do the same. It's fun to be able to talk about the same experience with a guy like that.”

Mayfield has on-point game in win over Eagles

Mayfield had a sweet day in Sunday’s 33-16 win by the Buccaneers over the Eagles, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. In the path of that performance, Mayfield helped Mike Evans become the Buccaneers' career scoring leader.

The Buccaneers and Mayfield seem to have the Eagles number as they racked up a 32-9 win in an NFL wild-card game last January. This time, Mayfield bounced back from a poor game against the Broncos in Week 3 by completing 30 of 47 passes with no interceptions.