Tom Brady’s tenure with the Buccaneers didn’t overlap with current quarterback Baker Mayfield’s, but tales from the NFL legend’s three-season run in Tampa Bay remain.
During a recent appearance on the “Casa De Klub” podcast, Mayfield — who became Brady’s successor in 2023 and led the Bucs to a surprise playoff run — was asked if he’s heard any zany stories about the Future Hall of Famer and floated an interesting anecdote centered on 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, 29, said on the program, as covered by Joe Bucs Fan.
“There’s a lot of mind games going on.”
Brady, now 47, joined the Buccaneers in March 2020 after 20 seasons in New England, where he won six Super Bowls.
In his first season under head coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, the Buccaneers reached the Super Bowl and defeated the Chiefs.
The Buccaneers made the playoffs two more times with Brady, his final run alongside new head coach Todd Bowles, who stunningly replaced Arians in March 2022.
The coaching move sparked conspiracy theories given the alleged relationship between Arians and Brady — who retired in February 2022 before reversing course — wasn’t all Florida sunshine and rainbows, with reports of discord dating back to late 2020.
Joe Bucs Fan pointed out “there was no elaboration from Mayfield as to when” Brady’s alleged throwaways occurred.
Arians, who became a senior football consultant for the Buccaneers in 2022, served as an offensive coordinator and head coach throughout his NFL career.
Elsewhere on the podcast, Mayfield remarked how some players were “stressed out” in earlier eras.
“The building was a little bit different with Tom in there,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out.”
Brady, who called it a career again in February 2023, is now entering his rookie season as an NFL analyst for Fox.
