New York Jets' defensive coordinator Steve Wilks responded to Buccaneers' quarterback Baker Mayfield's comments on Friday.

After suffering yet another heartbreaking loss in week three against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets' defensive coordinator Steve Wilks had nothing but high praise for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

When asked about Mayfield's comments after the team's week three lose to the Buccaneers, Wilks told reporters earlier this week that he has a ton of respect for the former first-round quarterback. 

"[I have] a lot of respect for Baker," Wilks stated. "[He's] a tremendous football player and he's doing a [heck] of a job with those guys down there."

Wilks would then follow up his praise for Mayfield by clearing the air and claiming that he did not have that much authority over personnel as the interim head coach.

"I don’t really think an interim coach has that much authority over personnel," Wilks said. "If that’s the case, I would’ve never gotten rid of our best player, Christian McCaffrey." 

The recent response from Wilks comes after Mayfield's remarks following the loss on Sunday, as the talented quarterback mentioned Wilks as a motivator for the team's performance due to Wilks being the one to cut him during his time with the Carolina Panthers. 

“Their D-coordinator [Wilks] was the one who cut me in Carolina," Mayfield said on Sunday. "A lot of stuff was personal today. Haason Reddick. Former Jet. A lot of people.”

In 2022, the Panthers decided to kick the tires on Mayfield by trading a conditional 2024 draft pick to the Cleveland Browns. This would ultimately not work out for the struggling franchise, as they would eventually release Mayfield after playing in seven games. But the former Oklahoma Sooner standout would then sign with the Los Angeles Rams later in the season with their franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford suffering a hand injury.

Luckily for Mayfield, his stint in Los Angeles paved the way to him signing with the Buccaneers in the 2023 offseason, which led to the revival of his career in the NFL. In his three years with the franchise, Mayfield has thrown for 9,159 yards and 75 touchdowns, while quickly becoming one of the hottest offensive playmakers during the stretch.

As for Wilks, the former interim head coach for the Panthers would make his way to the San Francisco 49ers after the franchise decided to hire former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their head coach in 2023. In his one season with the 49ers, Wilks managed to help lead the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance and turn their defense to a dominant force. And after spending the 2024 season as a special volunteer for the Charlotte 49ers at the college level, Wilks is back in the NFL as head coach Aaron Glenn's go-to guy on the defensive side of the ball.

Despite the rough start for the Jets' defense this year, Wilks has an opportunity in week four against the Miami Dolphins to change the course of their 2025 season.