Baker Mayfield turned in plenty of highlight moments throughout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 20-19 win over the Houston Texans, but one play stood out among the rest.
After scrambling for 16 yards to pick up a crucial first down on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter, Mayfield was brought down from behind and suffered what looked like a potentially significant leg injury.
While he was on the ground grabbing his leg in pain, notorious instigator, Texans safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, stood over Mayfield and said something that prompted Mayfield to spring to his feet and get in Gardner-Johnson’s face with some choice words.
Mayfield was asked what prompted him to get up so quickly after taking a hard hit to jaw at Gardner-Johnson.
Baker Mayfield explains him popping up from what looked like an injury to talk back at C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Monday night: pic.twitter.com/4IHeQW8Oce
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 17, 2025
“We don’t take any s--t. That’s about it,” Mayfield told reporters after practice on Wednesday.
Baker Mayfield explains why he trash talked C.J. Gardner-Johnson
In the aftermath of the game, the two have continued to take shots at each other off the field, from Mayfield’s Instagram post which Gardner-Johnson commented on, to his postgame press conference where he sarcastically referred to ‘his friend’ Chauncey.
Baker Mayfield on IG: "Built different. 10 toes down." https://t.co/YVctjoEK5D pic.twitter.com/7TnLJJG8dc
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 17, 2025
This is just the latest chapter in the long-running feud between Mayfield and Gardner-Johnson. Back in 2023, Gardner-Johnson took a shot at Mayfield, complimenting the Buccaneers wide receiver group, but saying that they needed a good quarterback.
In the 2023 NFC Divisional Round when Gardner-Johnson was with the Lions, he intercepted a pass from Mayfield and celebrated by running over to Mayfield and giving him the intercepted ball.
The two are not fond of each other, and it becomes clearer every time they take the field against one another. This time around, Mayfield got the last laugh by leading a game-winning touchdown drive to break Houston’s heart in the final seconds, helping Tampa Bay improve to 2-0 for the fifth straight season while the Texans fell to 0-2.
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