“Bake’s My Quarterback”
February 10th, 2025
Talks about his quarterback.
Was there much of a transition from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield for then-Bucs All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs?
No, says Wirfs, or at least not much of one.
Now Wirfs wasn’t crazy enough to say Mayfield was better. Even Mayfield wouldn’t go there. (Yes, Joe knows Rachaad White actually did go there.) However, often there is a transition for teams and teammates when changing quarterbacks.
But Wirfs viewing Mayfield as one of the guys, which Brady really wasn’t, helped with transitioning from the best ever to a guy that had to win over the organization on a prove-it contract.
Appearing with Ari Meirov of The33rdTeam, Wirfs explained the transition.
“Yeah, I thought it went pretty smooth,” Wirfs said. “I mean, Baker came in and kind of just won everyone over, just with being who he is, you know? His personality is incredible. And he’s a baller. He’s a dawg.
“It was really cool for me, you know. I mean, basically [Mayfield is] a little bit older me, but, like, somebody — Tom was 22 years older than me — so like having somebody my age and that I could hang out with, go to dinner with, just all that stuff. So I think that really, really helped us click off the bat.
“But I thought it was a really smooth transition. You know Bake’s my quarterback. Ride and die with. So it’s pretty awesome. I love him to death.”
Wirfs and Brady were tight as teammates, but Brady had a different life outside the Bucs locker room. Anyone remember how Wirfs, sidelined in Brady’s final Bucs season, came jogging out of the tunnel after Brady pulled off a last-second win and lifted Brady in the air and bear-hugged him on the field?
And Brady has been effusive in his praise for Wirfs since leaving the Bucs. So the two were tight — as teammates.
It was and is cool to see that Mayfield is just one of the guys, ready to hang out, pound beers, guzzle skinny margs, go fishing or soak in some sun on an island retreat.
February 10th, 2025 at 10:45 am
Being one of the guys is cool but it will take another good draft and a Guy like Sweat to top you over the top.
Come on Light release the money and go get you a dawg.
February 10th, 2025 at 10:55 am
Love the Baker.
February 10th, 2025 at 11:16 am
I remember after Brady’s first or second season here, it came out that Wirfs did not have his phone number, which was awkward
February 10th, 2025 at 11:18 am
We all have that one co-worker. Good dude, tells good jokes, everyone likes him/her, does great work. But never goes to the weekend bbqs, doesn’t get together after work for dinner or stay for the XMas party. Great dude…no connection outside work. That’s my guess how Brady was.
February 10th, 2025 at 11:34 am
Not Trask?
February 10th, 2025 at 11:40 am
I think all the chatter about Brady the GOAT is somewhat misleading. He’s certainly the GOAT and he was the single most important ingredient in the Bucs second SB. Give him MAJOR props for all of that.
However he simply wasn’t the GOAT in his 2nd and absolutley not his 3rd season with the Bucs. He was a distracted old man who stayed in the league two years too long.
My point is simple. You can’t really compare Baker to Brady the GOAT!! There is no comparison nor will there ever be. It’s not sacriligous however to say Baker IS better than the worn out, distracted old man, who QB’d the Bucs his final season.
He can be the all time great and still have made a HUGE mistake by hanging on too long. He’s far from the first guy to do it and he won’t be the last. Always sad though to watch a Johnny Unitas or Joe Namath embarrass themselves after glorious careers.
February 10th, 2025 at 12:06 pm
“However he simply wasn’t the GOAT in his 2nd and absolutley not his 3rd”
Agree on the third season, but the dude led the league in TDs and Yards in 2021 and then led the offense on a comeback to tie it against the Rams in the playoffs and couldn’t do more because the offense never had possession again after. All at 44.
February 10th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Stickinup
Point taken! Let’s just agree on the 3rd season.
One thing I find interesting in the comment about how highly Brady spoke of Wirfs is how he has spoken highly of others but not everyone.
Perhaps I missed it but I haven’t seen Tom say anything good about his final OC Leftwich. Brady could have been a real deal closer for Leftwich getting another position in the league but perhaps that final season left a bad taste in Tom’s mouth.
February 10th, 2025 at 12:42 pm
Everyone knows Leftwich was horrible. All the way back to AZ.
February 10th, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Brady was great on his 2nd season. Too many distractions in his 3rd.
February 10th, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Agreed. In his final season with us, he was already retired in his head and his heart. He wasn’t exactly going through the motions and he was still a stellar quarterback by any measure. But he wasn’t the Brady we knew.
February 10th, 2025 at 1:14 pm
In 21 Brady was legitimately one play away from a Conference Championship game. A lot closer than the 1 play from a Conference Championship Game that Joe loves to elude to in 2023 and closer than the Bucs may be to a Conference Game the rest of this decade.
Two crazy pass receptions by the Giants and one pass reception where a defender was more spectator than safety and Brady could possible have had a ring for each finger.
Perhaps he gets 8 with the Patriots and goes to the booth a couple years earlier and the Bucs don’t get their Lombardi. Could Mayfield have gotten them there in 2020? Sure Thing (wink)
22 was doomed as soon as Jensen went down and Brady probably should have just went on his way but stayed and still got the Bucs to a Division Title with an actual week off to rest starters before the Playoffs.
February 10th, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Brady brought me over to the Bucs after the Super Bowl and the playoff run his second season, but man, his third season (which was the first full season of football I had watched in about 30 years) was a tough one. Then along comes Baker and as I’ve gotten to know other players, it’s been a pleasure. Certainly not perfect, but I’m happy to be a Bucs fan.
February 10th, 2025 at 1:37 pm
SPBF, I think TB’s relationship with BL was okay …. As long as BA was around. Leftwich and the offense after Bruce retired reminds me of the Cowboys after Jimmy Johnson left town. One season removed…okay. The next season saw way too many things fray at the edges.
TB stayed a season too long using 20/20 hindsight. Still a price all would gladly pay to get one SB and be in the hunt for another.
Some of us are old enough to remember the Bucs giving up on Young and giving the 49ers their exit strategy for Montana. Forty years later there’s an admin team that took a shot on Brady and lucked into signing a “retread” to replace him. Luck is finally with the Bucs.
February 10th, 2025 at 2:25 pm
Suffice to say that Tristan Wirfs pen name on JBF isn’t Rod Munch.
February 10th, 2025 at 2:33 pm
I’m all for Baker being the guy to hang out with and what not but at the end of the day it’s about winning Super Bowls so all that he’s fun to kick it with outside of football stuff ehh we just need him to win games
February 10th, 2025 at 4:50 pm
OHBucsFan
Your explanation is as reasonable as any other I’ve read and the Cowboy’s example certainly fit.
February 10th, 2025 at 6:04 pm
Baker landing in TB’s lap after TB retired is right up there with Indy getting Lucky after Manning left
February 10th, 2025 at 7:40 pm
All Bucs fans need to thank the football Gods for giving them Baker. How many teams lose a legend at qb, only to find a new qb that the team and the city love and who is also fully capable of getting them to the SB? I can think of 3 or 4 teams in the last 30 years, maybe. Be thankful for what you have because there close to 25 NFL teams that would love to swap starting qbs with you.
February 10th, 2025 at 8:25 pm
I legitimately thought he’d say “I hate that midget Baker, I wish I had a tall and handsome QB behind me that doesn’t choke late in playoff games.”
This is a good sign, and certainly he wouldn’t say the same exact thing about whoever was at QB since all football players are not coached from an early age to never say anything interesting.
February 10th, 2025 at 8:59 pm
Munch,
Talked to your high school band director. He said as a freshman you struggled with the clarinet but your breakthrough came when they switched you to playing the triangle. Do you still have your clarinet?
February 10th, 2025 at 9:43 pm
Gipper
That’s some CREATIVE snark. Better than Rod’s “old folks home” with me.
But that’s just me I suspect Rod would disagree. LMAO
February 11th, 2025 at 12:31 am
Gipper, the fact stpetebucsfan is calling your attempt an insult, “CREATIVE snark” is not a good thing unless you’re going for the nursing home demo.
February 11th, 2025 at 1:59 am
Baker, Baker the old job maker.
Now to be a job maker I would bet you would have to be elite at your job.
And when you’re that good, you are going to be the franchise QB for a long time.
Isn’t life great being a Bucs fan!!!!
February 11th, 2025 at 2:51 am
Rod Munch Says:
February 10th, 2025 at 8:25 pm
I legitimately thought he’d say “I hate that midget Baker, I wish I had a tall and handsome QB behind me that doesn’t choke late in playoff games.”
This is a good sign, and certainly he wouldn’t say the same exact thing about whoever was at QB since all football players are not coached from an early age to never say anything interesting.
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uh you do realize that they are like best friends and hang out together all the time? so maybe he’s not just saying that because he has to, but because he actually, you know, likes baker and enjoys playing with him. crazy, i know.