2024 NFL playoffs: Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield has epic response to Lions’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s trash talk

Football isn’t the only thing Baker Mayfield has gotten better at during his time in Tampa. The Buccaneers‘ starting quarterback had the perfect response to Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson trash-talking him ahead of Sunday’s divisional-round playoff matchup. 

In case you missed it, here’s what Gardner-Johnson said about Mayfield when he was recently asked about the Buccaneers’ receiving corps. 

“This group probably is one of the better groups we done faced all year, besides that Tampa group,” Gardner-Johnson said, via the Detroit Free Press. “If you give that Tampa group a good quarterback, that’s a great group. [Mike] Evans, [Chris] Godwin, [Russell] Gage, that’s a great group. I played against them for real.”

Mayfield, who clearly knew the question was coming, pounced on the opportunity to respond when asked of Gardner-Johnson’s comments. 

“I don’t think he’s really watched film, because he mentioned Russell Gage,” Mayfield said, via Sports Illustrated. “We love Russell, but Russell didn’t play a snap all year for us. He must be going off preseason stuff that the media was talking about. 

“(Gardner-Johnson) didn’t play in our first game, so I’m excited to see him. I think he’s a really good player. He has been for a while. He’s been an impactful guy on every team he’s been on. He’s a good player, but, yeah, he’s got to do a little more film study.” 

At best, Gardner-Johnson’s knocking Mayfield’s ability before a playoff game is a questionable decision. Mayfield had a strong regular season and is coming off arguably the best game of his career to date. He threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns during Tampa Bay’s 32-9 blowout win over Philadelphia on Super Wild Card Weekend. 

While Mayfield is playing at a high level, the Lions’ secondary has not. The unit struggled against elite passing offenses all year and finished 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed during the regular season. Detroit’s secondary recently allowed Puka Nacua to record the most-ever receiving yards by a rookie during a playoff game. 

It nothing else, Gardner-Johnson’s trash talk has added even more intrigue to what is already a highly anticipated game. But if the Lions lose, he needs to brace himself for the criticism he will surely face in Detroit and the rebuttal he will undoubtedly receive from Mayfield himself.