Mayfield previously made comments about the Bucs' locker room being "stressed out" during the seven-time Super Bowl champ's tenure with the team ... claiming he was brought in to "bring the joy back to football" for the players.

When Brady was asked about Mayfield's words, he had one of the strongest takes of his short career on the mic.

"I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings, so there was a mindset of a champion that I took to work every day," Brady told his partner, Kevin Burkhardt. "This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I would've went to Disneyland with my kids."

Despite the passionate response, Brady was complimentary of Mayfield after the Bucs' 33-16 win ... giving him the "LFG Player of the Game" and praising his leadership.

While they didn't address each other's comments during their one-on-one, Mayfield was asked about it during his postgame press conference ... and he said his original quotes were taken out of context.

"None of it was personal, by any means," Mayfield said. "It's just what he demanded of the guys, and that's the aura of Tom Brady, and that's what he did to bring a championship here."

He also said he talked to Brady before the game ... and they had a good convo about playing alongside Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Ultimately, Mayfield claimed he had no problem with Brady's style ... as his success speaks for itself.

"He did it his own way and that's why he has seven rings. Not much else needs to be said."