Baker Mayfield‘s recent comments about Tom Brady have sparked some controversy. The former reflected on taking over the quarterback role in Tampa Bay after Brady’s departure, but his remarks didn’t sit well with everyone.

“The building was a little bit different with Tom in there,” Mayfield told the Casa de Klub podcast.

“Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in, in a high-strung environment, so I think everybody was pretty stressed out.”

“For me, and everybody was expecting the Bucs to not be good last year, they wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football a little bit for guys that weren’t having as much fun, and just continue to raise the competition level. They just asked me to be myself. As a player, you really can’t ask for much more than that.”

Bayless disagrees

One notable critic was sports analyst Skip Bayless, who voiced his disapproval of Mayfield‘s take. Bayless highlighted Brady’s significant contributions to the Buccaneers, including leading the team to a Super Bowl LV win during his tenure.

“I’ve defended Baker for maturing, saying all the right things. But now on a podcast he says Brady kept the team on edge, stressed, purposely threw balls away on plays he didn’t want called,” Bayless wrote on X.

“I’m sure much truth there but Baker: A BUNCH OF YOUR TEAMMATES HAVE RINGS BECAUSE OF BRADY.”

Mayfield, who signed a three-year, $100 million contract with the Buccaneers this offseason, has had a strong start, leading the team to a 2-0 record and tying for the league lead in touchdown passes with five.