The New England Patriots are still struggling to replace Tom Brady under center, but it didn’t take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers long. They signed former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal in 2023, and he earned a three-year, $115 million extension after leading the Bucs to an NFC South title, and a postseason victory.
While Mayfield is talented in his own right, it must have been a massive change for the Buccaneers to go from the greatest quarterback of all time to someone else. But maybe in some ways it was better. During a recent appearance on the Casa de Klub podcast , Mayfield said that Brady’s intensity led to a stressed 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, via Pro Football Talk . “They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football for guys who weren’t having as much fun.”