Tom Brady responds to Baker Mayfield's criticism

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 response 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 on his replacement's criticism on the stand.

“I found it stressful not having Super Bowl rings, so I had the attitude of a champion that I took to work every day,” Brady said when Fox published Mayfield's on-screen comments. “It wasn’t a daycare center. If I wanted to have fun, I would have taken my kids to Disneyland.”

Mayfield resurrected his career last season in Tampa Bay, leading the Buccaneers to their third straight NFC South title and a playoff victory. He received a three-year, $100 million 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 this season – his seventh ring – and two division titles in 2021 and 2022 before retiring.

During an appearance on a Casa de Klub podcast, Mayfield said that Brady's intensity created a stressful atmosphere in the locker room.

“The building was a little different with Tom in it. Obviously Tom is different in terms of play. He was talking to everyone, the atmosphere was tense, so I think everyone was pretty stressed,” Mayfield said on the podcast. “They wanted me to come in, be myself and bring the joy of football back to the boys who weren’t having as much fun.”

Mayfield also sampled the way Brady handled disputes with former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich over play calls.

“You hear some stories that if he didn't like a particular play call and he didn't like it all week and he's still calling it in the game, there may have been an intentional throwaway or he threw it backwards running Back or receiver’s feet,” Mayfield said. “There was a lot of mind games.”

Brady was back in Tampa Bay as an analyst for the first time. 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 attitude and trying to push each other out of our comfort zones,” Brady said. “Great teammates do that.”

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