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Bucs GM explains what Baker Mayfield does better than Tom Brady
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- Bucs GM explains what Baker Mayfield does better than Tom Brady
Bucs GM explains what Baker Mayfield does better than Tom Brady originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht was quite candid about something he feels Baker Mayfield does better than Tom Brady.
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Licht spoke to The Athletic's Zak Keefer recently and revealed that he believes Mayfield is simply more relatable to his team than Brady was.
"I would never throw shade on Tom because I like my ring too much, but Baker is just more... relatable," Licht admitted.
"He fits us because he came to a place where (head coach Todd Bowles) and the GM said, 'Hey, be you,'" Licht added on Mayfield.
How is Baker Mayfield more relatable?
For the answer to this question, we turn to a quote from Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs, who noted that Mayfield routinely hangs out with his teammates, unlike Brady.
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"Tom really didn't do anything with us, because he couldn't. Like, he couldn't even go to dinner," Wirfs said. "Then Baker comes in, and the first day he's here he asks me if I wanna grab a beer that night. I'm like, 'This is sick!'"
Keefer adds that Mayfield also plays video games with his teammates as another way to hang out with them.
Brady was probably more relatable earlier in his career, but things likely changed after he had a family and became a mega star.
A good trait, but...
While it's certainly important for a quarterback to be able to relate to his teammates, that is not the end-all, be-all trait required to have success.
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After all, just look at Brady, who clearly wasn't as good as Mayfield when it comes to relating to his teammates, yet he was able to win a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay.
I'm sure every team would trade relatability for a Super Bowl.
Baker Mayfield's murky future
As much as the Bucs value Mayfield, that wasn't enough for the two sides to be able hammer out a contract extension.
The Bucs signal-caller is in the final year of his contract and without a new deal, he's slated to hit the free-agent market in 2027.
Mayfield expressed his frustration with the inability to get something done and said he felt "disrespected a little bit."
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"That's really the disappointing part -- to feel undervalued after thinking you've earned it," Mayfield said.
"If you've waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, that's too bad because it's only going to get worse from here. I'm going to have a really big year," Mayfield added.
Given the premium on good starting quarterbacks, which Mayfield is, he's going to draw a ton of interest if he ever hits the open market, and chances are there will be some team out there willing to give him the money he's seeking.
