TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady has no regrets about pushing his teammates to be their best.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t hold back in responding to Baker Mayfield’s recent comments that Brady created a “stressful environment” during the 2022 season, his last with the Buccaneers.
After Mayfield threw his second touchdown pass to give Tampa Bay a 14-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Brady shared his thoughts from the booth about his replacement’s criticism.
“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings so there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work every day,” Brady said when Fox posted Mayfield’s comments on screen. “This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I would’ve went to Disneyland with my kids.”
Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay last season, led the Buccaneers to their third straight NFC South title and a playoff win. He got a $100 million, three-year contract to stay in Tampa Bay and has become a fan favorite.
Brady, who arrived in 2020, led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title that season — his seventh ring — and two division titles in 2021 and 2022 before he retired.
During an appearance on a Casa de Klub podcast, Mayfield said Brady’s intensity created a stress-filled environment in the 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 on the podcast. “They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football for guys who weren’t having as much fun.”
Mayfield also took a shot at the way Brady handled disputes with former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich over play calls.
“You hear some of the stories about if he didn’t like a certain play call and he didn’t like it throughout the week and they still call it in the game, there might have been a throwaway on purpose or throwing it at the running back or receiver’s feet,” Mayfield said. “There were a lot of mind games going on.”
Mayfield downplayed Brady’s reaction after leading the Buccaneers to a 33-16 victory over Philadelphia.
“I think a lot of that got taken out of context. 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 I talked with him 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 did the same, and it’s fun to talk about some of the same experiences.
“A lot of things got taken out of context. He did it his own way and that’s why he has seven rings. Not much else needs to be said.”
Brady was back in Tampa Bay for the first time as an analyst. He greeted Mayfield and many former teammates, coaches and team staff before the game.
“There’s a way to approach this game and that’s with the right mindset and try to push each other outside of our comfort zone,” Brady said. “Great teammates do that.”
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