Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, called it quits this year after 23 glorious seasons. 7 Super Bowl titles and 5 NFL MVP honors later, Brady decided to retire for the second and probably for the final time after an ordinary 2022 season.
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If someone starts listing all the record Brady has broken and all the awards he has earned, it would probably take a few days to get all the information in order. Such has been the impact of the legend who won more championships than any single franchise in the history of the competition. However, his absence has left has a massive void in the Bucs’ lineup.
Baker Mayfield knows that he can’t be the next Tom Brady
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were revived from the dead by Tom who decided to join them in 2020. In his maiden season for Tampa, Tom ended up winning a Super Bowl trophy, his seventh overall. Without a doubt, the Bucs had a massive task to find an appropriate replacement for the QB spot ahead of the 2023 season and they chose, Baker Mayfield.
2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield came into the NFL with a lot of expectations but even 5 seasons later, he hasn’t been able to establish himself as a reliable franchise QB. However, the Bucs still decided to show faith in him. Of course, this is a massive opportunity for Mayfield to redeem himself but filling Brady’s shoes also brings a lot of pressure with it.
Baker Mayfield on following in Tom Brady’s footsteps in Tampa.
(via @NFL, @Buccaneers) | #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/nJFJuck5TM
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) March 20, 2023
Commenting on all this, the new Bucs QB, in a recent press meet, stated that he knows he will never be able to do what the GOAT did for 23 long years. “Listen, I am never going to be Tom Brady. There is a reason why he has won so many Super Bowls. He is the greatest of all time. There is no doubt about that,” Baker had claimed.
“I am not going to try and beat Tom. I am going to try and beat me. We are going to do things differently. This is what makes this league so special,” he had added.
Mayfield is confident about leading the Buccaneers
Tampa Bay seems to be the perfect place for Baker Mayfield. The franchise has gone through a bit of a rejig after Brady’s departure, but they still have enough talented players to start a new legacy under Mayfield. In fact, because they have a team which looks ready to win, Baker had no hesitation in joining them after a good stint for the Rams in 2022.
Baker Mayfield: “I wanted to go somewhere that we can win right away and this is that place…have to roll with the punches and trust in God’s plan.” Notes his career path is not what he would have drawn up but it led him here to Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/xbEppA5rMW
— Brianna Dix (@briannadixNFL) March 20, 2023
“I wanted to go somewhere that we can win right away and this(Tampa Bay) is that place. Have to roll with the punches and trust in God’s plan,” Mayfield recently claimed. Baker admitted that his career path hasn’t been as smooth as he would have liked it to be thus far, but is confident about leading Tampa Bay.
