The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw their Super Bowl dreams end on Sunday in a 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions, but that is not stopping wrestling legend and Bucs fan Ric Flair from feeling great about the team. Flair even sent out a huge shoutout to quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has definitely earned the pro-wrestling icon's respect.
“@bakermayfield, We’ve Only Met Once. As Of Today, I Have So Much Respect For You And The @Buccaneers ! You Played Your Heart Out. You’re A Badass! I Live In Tampa. I Don’t Have Your Number. I Would Love To Hang Out With You! You’re Such A Badass! I’m So Proud To Say That I’m A Buccaneers Fan! To The Whole Buccaneers Team, God Bless You! You Went Places You Weren’t Supposed To Go! Next Year, Let’s Kick Ass! WOOOOO!”
The Buccaneers were not expected to seriously contend for the Super Bowl in their first season since Tom Brady decided to hang it up, but Mayfield had other things in mind. The low-risk gamble of Tampa Bay on the former No. 1 overall pick looked genius in retrospect, as Mayfield did not just lead the Buccaneers to an NFC South division title with a 9-8 record but also powered them to a win in the wild-card round against the then-reigning NFC champs Philadelphia Eagles.
Against the Lions, Mayfield passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns on 26/41 completions. He had two interceptions, including a back-breaking one late in the game, and got sacked four times for a loss of 30 yards, but he's certainly accomplished more than what many people thought he would with the Bucs, who may have to seriously think about signing him to a new deal.