Jets DC Steve Wilks Responds To Baker Mayfield's Roster Cut Comments
Wilks responded that it wasn't his decision to cut Mayfield from the Carolina roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had strong words for New York Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after a Week 3 matchup, and Wilks had an equally strong response.
On Sunday, Mayfield and the Bucs won a last-second matchup to improve to 3-0 on the season, while the Jets stumbled to 0-3. Mayfield does not need much motivation to win games, seeing as though he’s one of the most competitive players in the NFL.
But he took an extra level of satisfaction in the victory because he believed Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks played a major role in ending his stint with the Carolina Panthers.
Mayfield played just half a season in Carolina (2022), and Wilks was the interim head coach during part of that season after Matt Rhule got fired.
Evidently, Mayfield believed that Wilks played a big role in cutting him from the Carolina roster, which is why he thought the win on Sunday was extra special.
Wilks let that comment sit for a few days without responding, but on Friday, he emptied his mag on Mayfield.
At first, he tried to downplay the seriousness of the matter, but he very quickly changed tone and blasted the Buccaneers’ quarterback.
"I don’t think an interim coach has much say over personnel. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have gotten rid of our best player, Christian McCaffrey," Wilks said.
No love lost between these two, apparently!
As to who is right in this conflict, I have to side with Wilks on this one. Interim head coaches are never given much authority to do much with the roster, since they are, by design, not permanent. I highly doubt that Wilks had much of a say beyond prepping for Sundays when in Carolina.
But don’t tell Mayfield that! He’s always looking for an extra mental edge to win - and it definitely worked last Sunday!