Week 3 is in the books, but the storylines won’t stop. Tampa Bay squeaked past the Jets 29-27. The Bay was loud, and Baker Mayfield made sure his voice carried even louder after. The Buccaneers quarterback admitted that this one felt personal. Why? The Jets’ defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks, was the interim in Carolina when the Panthers waived him in 2022.

Then came Wilks’ turn. He wasn’t dodging the question, but he kept it polished. “A lot of respect for Baker,” Wilks said. “Tremendous football player, and he’s doing a hell of a job with those guys down there. So nothing really to say beyond that.” Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.

Because right after, he added a little more. “I don’t know how long you’ve been doing this, but I’m sure you’re quite educated on it,” Wilks said, gesturing to a reporter. “I don’t really think an interim coach has that much authority over personnel. If that was the case, I would’ve never gotten rid of our best player, Christian McCaffrey.” That line hit with force.

And once those exchanges landed online, fans didn’t hold back. They fired shots at Wilks, questioning his previous role.

Wilks can’t escape Carolina shadow

Wilks stepped in as interim coach in Carolina back in 2022 after Matt Rhule’s rough 1-5 start. The move came right before Christian McCaffrey was shipped off to San Francisco. At the same time, Baker Mayfield was still trying to make it work under center. But the ankle injury, the losing record, and the messy situation made it clear the fit wasn’t lasting. By December 5, Carolina waived him after a 1-5 stretch as a starter.

Then the fans took their shots. One wrote, “He did have control over the fact that he had Baker playing scout team defense. He had a severe lack of accountability, which is one factor of why he is a horrible coach.” Another piled on with, “MF’er had baker lining up as a DE and trying to act innocent lmao.”

Yet at the time, Wilks framed it differently. “He felt and we felt we wanted to give him the opportunity to seek whatever him and his agent felt was best for him,” Wilks said. “He’s still a good football player. Just like coaches, just like players sometimes, they just need a change.” Even with that, fans didn’t let him off easy, adding, “This is the guy who had a top 10 QB as a PS special teamer and a top 15 QB as a backup?”

And change really did work. Mayfield bounced back right away, leading a wild win with the Rams the same week Carolina cut him. He then landed in Tampa Bay, and since 2023, he’s stacked a league-best 75 passing touchdowns.

Still, the other name always comes up. “I hear you, Baker, but the real tragedy was CMC,” one fan said. The Panthers sent McCaffrey to the Niners for a bundle of picks, and he exploded with 1,139 rushing yards and 13 scores that season, plus another Pro Bowl.

So fans see it as a wasted shot. “Wilks was gifted an opp with clown Rhule fired at 1-4, but couldn’t do it. CAR still had Baker, McCaffrey, DJ Moore. Benched Baker for f—– PJ, then he lost Baker and Christian. Wilks had it right there . . . couldn’t figure it out. And Baker’s comments speak loud & clear.”

The past in Carolina isn’t going away. And now, every time Baker shines in The Bay, the spotlight shifts right back onto Wilks.