Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs explains differences blocking for Baker Mayfield and Tom Brady

Tristan Wirfs is one of the best tackles in football — another First Team All-Pro nod in 2024 should be enough evidence of that. But he's also had the fortune of blocking for two great quarterbacks during his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, each of whom had a different playstyle.

Only two quarterbacks in Buccaneers history have thrown for 40 or more touchdowns, and Wirfs has blocked for both of them. Tom Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time and led the Bucs to a Super Bowl in 2020, while Baker Mayfield has revitalized his career in Tampa Bay while continuing to lead the Buccaneers to NFC South titles. And those two quarterbacks played different games.

Wirfs recently appeared on Ryan Clark's podcast, The Pivot, and he explained the differences between the two quarterbacks. Wirfs noted that Brady was a much quicker passer who got the ball out very fast, while Mayfield's improvisation and maneuverability has Wirfs blocking for a bit longer.

"Three years with Tom... you gotta fix this internal clock that's like, 'One-1,000, two—oh, ball is out,'" Wirfs said. "Baker's gonna look, he's gonna run around, spin out, he's probably gonna break a tackle along the way. So that was a big change at first. I gotta strain — you think the ball's out, but no, no, he's looking."

Mayfield may not be Tom Brady, but he did still throw 41 touchdown passes for the Buccaneers last year. That will be a tough year to live up to, but Mayfield will try to do so under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, who was the team's pass game coordinator last year.

Brady, meanwhile, will continue to call games for FOX Sports. Wirfs and Mayfield got to say hi quite a few times when Brady called their games against the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints, and he could be back in Tampa Bay once again next season in the broadcast booth.