Baker Mayfield Calls Out Ex-Coach Steve Wilks After Beating Jets

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sitting at 3-0 after edging the New York Jets, 29-27, on Sunday.

Mayfield has been on a run of fiery comments, including last week’s remarks about not taking "s**t" from anyone. 

Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs onto the field prior to an NFL football game against the New York Jets at Raymond James Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

In Week 3, he admitted he was playing with a chip on his shoulder — and it showed. 

Mayfield engineered the final drive to set up the go-ahead field goal by Chase McLaughlin, sealing Tampa Bay’s perfect start. Mayfield became the first quarterback in NFL history to deliver back-to-back-to-back game-winning drives in the first three weeks of a season.

READ: Baker Mayfield on Texans Trash Talk: 'We Don't Take Any Sh*t'

He put together another QB1 performance, completing 19-of-29 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t just the win that fueled him — it was someone who stood on the other sideline.

Jets DC Steve Wilks provided extra motivation to his opposing quarterback on Sunday. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Speaking to the media after the game, Mayfield said he was extra motivated to beat Steve Wilks, the former Carolina Panthers interim head coach and current Jets defensive coordinator — the same coach who cut him loose in 2022. 

Baker Mayfield was all smiles after beating the Jets on Sunday. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Mayfield’s stay in Carolina was brief and bitter. Acquired in a trade that July, he struggled early, was benched under Wilks, and ultimately requested his release in December. 

Days later, he landed with the Rams and began reviving his career.

"Their D-coordinator was the one who cut me in Carolina," Mayfield said, also voicing payback on behalf of Bucs teammate and former Jets player Haason Reddick. 

"A lot of stuff was personal today. Haason Reddick. Former Jet. A lot of people."

After bouncing around for a short stretch, Mayfield has now secured a franchise role in Tampa Bay — and the payday that comes with it. His edge may not have meshed in Cleveland, where the Browns made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, but under steady coaching in Los Angeles and Tampa Bay, his stock has soared.

Now, as the unquestioned leader of the Buccaneers, Mayfield isn’t just winning games — he’s settling scores.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela