QB Baker Mayfield publicly challenged the entire New Orleans Saints team—but the calm response and bold retort from the Saints' “firestarter” leader set the NFL ablaze.
QB Baker Mayfield publicly challenged the entire New Orleans Saints team—but the calm response and bold retort from the Saints' “firestarter” leader set the NFL ablaze.
New Orleans, Louisiana – October 23, 2025
Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season hasn’t even kicked off yet, but the tension between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints is already electric. And at the center of it all stands Baker Mayfield, the Buccaneers’ outspoken quarterback.
During his midweek press conference, Mayfield didn’t hold back — openly declaring that he “doesn’t like the Saints”, accusing Kellen Moore’s team of “not playing clean,” and ending with a line that instantly went viral across NFL circles:
“I don’t like them. Hasn’t exactly been clean play when we face them. That’s just the truth.”
It didn’t take long for Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, the young face of New Orleans’ rebuild, to fire back. Calm but unmistakably sharp, Rattler chose his words carefully — yet every syllable carried weight.
“He can hate, he can say whatever he wants,” Rattler said, his tone composed but firm. “But come Sunday, we’ll let our game do the talking. Around here, we don’t talk much — we play football.”
He then leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on the reporters in front of him. “And if Baker wants a fight, he’ll get one. Just not the kind he’s expecting.”
Rattler, who’s endured a difficult 1–6 start under new head coach Kellen Moore, seemed to embrace the confrontation, using Mayfield’s comments as fuel. Inside the Saints’ locker room, players reportedly rallied around their rookie quarterback, vowing to “defend the dome.”
One veteran Saint told reporters off the record:
“If Baker wants to turn this into something personal, fine. But he better remember — the Superdome isn’t a place you come to run your mouth.”
Mayfield, now leading Tampa Bay to a 5–2 record and owning a 4–1 career record against the Saints, has history on his side. Yet this time, it’s more than stats — it’s pride, rivalry, and the raw emotion that defines the NFC South.
When asked about the war of words, Coach Kellen Moore just smirked.
“We respect every opponent,” he said. “But if anyone thinks New Orleans is going to roll over, they’re in for a long night inside the Superdome.”
The verbal duel between Mayfield and Rattler has turned Sunday’s matchup into one of the most anticipated games of Week 8. And when kickoff finally arrives, the question won’t just be who wins — it’ll be whose words truly carried more weight when the lights go out in New Orleans.
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