49ers’ Nick Bosa gave Baker Mayfield harsh truth in midgame chat

While the beef between 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has been mostly settled, the two shared a moment of spice on the field late Sunday, although it wasn’t apparent at the time.

After throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter, Mayfield went over to the officials to complain about something that happened to him during the play. Bosa then ran over to the quarterback, said something to Mayfield while putting his arm around him, and then patted him on the shoulder pad before heading to the Niners’ sideline.

At first glance, it looked as though Bosa was consoling his former college rival. 

Back in college in 2017, Mayfield famously planted the Oklahoma Sooners flag on Ohio State’s midfield logo after beating Bosa’s team. Bosa then got Mayfield back in the pros in 2019, when he sacked the then-Browns quarterback and mimicked the flag-planting as his celebration. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported that the two had moved past all that while attending the same golf tournament this summer.

However, the perception was not quite reality. When a reporter asked Bosa about the conversation after the game — “Did you console him after the interception that Ji’Ayir [Brown] got?” — the reigning Defensive Player of the Year set the record straight.

“No, he was bitching to the ref, and I told him there’s no horse collar in the pocket,” Bosa said. “He thought he got roughed.”

It’s not quite mocking a celebration, but it’s certainly a shot at Mayfield. He also got a more physical shot in during the game, combining with Fred Warner for a ball-jarring sack that saw the 49ers pounce on Mayfield’s fumble early in the second quarter.

The game wasn’t a total victory for Bosa. Mayfield was able to get the better of the Niners defender earlier in the game when he briefly blocked Bosa during a running play, and celebrated the moment with his hands in the air. Bosa, who saw the celebration, made sure to clear the air on that end too.

“That was not him, that was the speed of No. 10,” Bosa said. “But, I’ll let him have that.”

Squashing beef means knowing when the other person got one on you. Of course, forcing a fumble, and beating their team, probably helps a lot too.