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Amid Tom Brady’s second retirement from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one team already named him the starter for 2023.
That’s the San Francisco 49ers, which quarterback Brock Purdy revealed in an interview with ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan had his sights set on Brady, who retired February 1, 2023, after three seasons with the Buccaneers.
“Early in the offseason, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan sat down with Purdy and assured him that if he was healthy he would be the starter unless Brady wanted to play,” Wagoner wrote. “‘That meant so much to me,’ Purdy said. ‘I remember him saying, if we can get Tom Brady, we’re going to try to get him. And I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s the GOAT. I get it.’ But something deep down inside me was sort of like, ‘Dude, I just showed you that I can play well in this system. And we were one game away from the Super Bowl.’”
Ironically, the Buccaneers could face the Niners with one game left before the Super Bowl if both teams take care of business in the Divisional Round. Purdy emerged as an MVP candidate this season for the 49ers, and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s resurgence has his team going strong into Detroit on Saturday.
Buccaneers Embrace Underdog Mentality
The national media wrote off the Buccaneers after Brady’s retirement, and Mayfield’s signing did little or nothing to change that perception. Tampa Bay overcame a midseason slump in the process followed by an NFC South title and a convincing Wild Card game win.
“It’s been great,” Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously backs against the wall like I mentioned after the game — just the stretch run that we had to go on — makes it even more enjoyable to get to the point where we are right now, but like I mentioned as well, we’re happy, but we’re not satisfied. We have bigger goals, and so we gotta keep working.”
Mayfield credited the team’s commitment for the playoffs thus far. The Buccaneers beat the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 on Monday, less than a year after the Eagles beat a shorthanded 49ers team for a trip to the Super Bowl.
“Specifically for playoffs, it’s heightened awareness,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, it’s always a great atmosphere when it comes down to it for the playoffs because of what’s on the line and what’s at stake. It just comes down to the details. The little things. Executing correctly.”
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers Ready for Challenge in Detroit
While Philadelphia had been on a 1-5 slide going into the playoffs, the Detroit Lions have been solid. The Lions have a rabid home crowd amid a recent Wild Card win, the first in 32 years, plus a strong team on offense, defense, and special teams.
“Teams in the playoffs don’t beat themselves,” Mayfield said. “The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is usually the one that wins. So taking care of the ball, eliminating negative plays. So just knowing your job front and back and knowing whatever plays and schemes we have in the game plan and exactly what looks we’re going to be expecting and then go execute.”
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