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“Can’t wait to see you”: Baker Mayfield reopens old wounds as NFC South rivals hire Kevin Stefanski
Baker Mayfield hasn’t exactly made peace with how his chapter with the Cleveland Browns ended. That much has never been in doubt.
So when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Orlando Ledbetter tweeted that new Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski - Mayfield’s former head coach with the Browns - “had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland,” the response was never going to be quiet.
Mayfield didn’t bother dressing it up.
Stefanski arrived in Cleveland in 2020, and early returns suggested the pairing might actually work. Mayfield threw for 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns, the Browns went 11-5, and a franchise stuck in neutral for nearly two decades finally found its way back into the postseason.
The follow-up act, though, told a different story.
A nagging shoulder injury limited Mayfield, his performances slipped, and the Browns struggled. Tensions bubbled over late in the year, and after a loss to Pittsburgh, Mayfield publicly questioned Stefanski’s game plan.
"When you've got T.J. Watt over there, and we're not giving our rookie tackle a whole lot of help, it’s not going to be good for us," he said after being sacked nine times in that game.
By spring 2022, Cleveland had moved on, acquiring Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade. And when Mayfield was subsequently shipped to the Carolina Panthers, he didn’t hide how much the moment stung.
A brief stop with the Los Angeles Rams followed before Mayfield finally found stability in Tampa Bay. With the Buccaneers, he’s played his best football, reaching the playoffs twice and reestablishing himself as more than a short-term fix.
Now, with Mayfield and Stefanski sharing the NFC South but standing on opposite sidelines, the past is no longer buried. They’ll see each other twice a year, and judging by the tone, this one isn’t cooling off anytime soon.
