Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield generated headlines when he said earlier this month that some individuals within the organization were "pretty stressed out" and "weren’t having as much fun" when Tom Brady was the club's QB1 from 2020 through the 2022 season.
During a recent chat with Greg Auman of Fox Sports, star Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans spoke about how he connected with Brady both on and off the field.
"It's crazy that we had the relationship that we did," Evans said about Brady. "We were way closer than I expected us to be. He still keeps in touch even though he's one of the biggest stars in the world. He's just a down-to-earth guy. Just seeing who he is outside of football, I got to know his family, his kids."
Brady signed with the Buccaneers as a free agent in March 2020 after he guided the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships from 2000 through the 2019 season. Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV in Brady's first campaign with the franchise, and the Buccaneers then completed a trip to the playoffs the following season before TB12 retired in February 2022.
Brady ultimately returned to Tampa Bay's active roster, but his final season as a player was at least somewhat overshadowed by his public divorce from Gisele Bundchen. NFL insider Pete Prisco of CBS Sports mentioned this past August how he heard from some players that Brady was "tough" and "a little standoffish" during his Tampa Bay tenure, but Evans suggested that wasn't the case.
"I didn't know him when he was in New England," Evans added about Brady, "and he was about his business here, but you saw a lighter side to him. I've been to fights with him, hung out with him outside of here. He's just a great dude, and he loves his family."
Brady will be in the Fox broadcast booth calling this Sunday's matchup between the 2-1 Philadelphia Eagles and 2-1 Buccaneers held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Bucs as 1.5-point home underdogs for that matchup.
