Tom Brady's playing days may be done but his competitive fire still burns stronger than most.
Brady's competitive fire was on full display during Week 4 when he provided color commentary for a Sunday matchup between the Buccaneers and Eagles. As his former team faced Philadelphia, Brady did not hold back when he spoke about his successor, Baker Mayfield, and comments about the pressure Bucs players felt during Brady's time in Tampa Bay.
What did Brady say about Mayfield? Here is more on the seven-time champion's comments and what led to him speaking out.
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What did Tom Brady say about Baker Mayfield's comments?
Brady had plenty to say about Mayfield's assertion that the locker room was "stressful" during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings,'' Brady said, passionately. "This wasn’t daycare. … If I was going to have fun, I was going to Disneyland with my kids. There’s a way to approach this game and it’s with the right mindset to push teammates.''
"This wasn't daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland with my kids."
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 29, 2024
Tom Brady responds to Baker Mayfield 😳
Mayfield said Brady created a "high-strung environment" with the Bucs and said "everybody was pretty stressed out."pic.twitter.com/rxkQxyavS6
Brady spent two seasons as quarterback in Tampa, leading the Bucs to a victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl 55.
What did Baker Mayfield say?
During an appearance on the Casa De Klub podcast, Mayfield spoke on how Brady's approach and mentality impacted the rest of the Buccaneers locker room.
"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 said.
Mayfield, who signed with Tampa Bay after Brady's official retirement, added that "They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football for guys who weren't having as much fun."
Mayfield attempted to clarify his comments after Sunday's win, telling reporters his words "got taken out of context."
"It's just what [Brady] demanded of the guys, and that's the aura of Tom Brady. And that's what he did to bring a championship here," Mayfield explained.
In Mayfield's first season with the Buccaneers, he led the team to a 9-8 record and an NFC South title. Tampa cruised past Philadelphia during the NFC Wild Card before coming up short against Detroit in the Divisional Round.
The QB explained that his initial comments were taken out of context, and that he did not mean to disrespect the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
"I think a lot of that got taken out of context, and none of it was personal by any means," Mayfield said. "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."
Mayfield's second season in Tampa has gotten out to a successful start and he continues to look increasingly comfortable with receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
