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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield clearly hasn’t forgotten how his time in Cleveland ended after taking a shot at new Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski on Tuesday night.
Mayfield took exception to a tweet from an Atlanta-based reporter who wrote about Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland, specifically the number of quarterbacks he had to work with because none seemed to stick.
However, Mayfield sees the situation differently, saying he was thrown out of the Browns’ organization as “garbage” despite being the team’s first overall pick and helping lead them to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 during the 2020 campaign, Stefanski’s first year as head coach.
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Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns talks with head coach Kevin Stefanski during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (John McCoy/Getty Images)
Now that Stefanski will see Mayfield and the Bucs twice per season in his new role, the veteran quarterback welcomed him to the NFC South in a way only he can.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield said, referring to a note from the reporter that said Mayfield and Deshaun Watson, who is still on the Browns’ roster, failed in Cleveland. “Still waiting for a text/call from [Stefanski] after I was sent away like a piece of trash. Can’t wait to see you twice a year coach.”
The rivalry has already begun and Stefanski has yet to practice with the Falcons.
ATLANTA FALCONS HIRING HIRE KEVIN STEFANSKI AS NEW HEAD COACH
The Browns moved on from Stefanski, 43, after going 5-12 in his sixth season with the franchise. After a 3-14 campaign in 2024, the Browns felt it was time for new leadership in the building, and the search is on to find their next man on the sideline.
Stefanski immediately became a hot head coaching candidate in the league. He was the second coach off the board, with John Harbaugh leading the way by taking the New York Giants’ job.
Soon after, the Falcons announced Stefanski’s signing, giving him a five-year deal.
But Mayfield is clearly salty about how things ended up in Cleveland. And while he eventually found a home in Tampa Bay, it looks like there will be some extra motivation on the schedule twice a year going forward.
Mayfield was the first overall pick in 2018. After sub-.500 seasons as he acclimated to the NFL, he began working with Stefanski in 2020 and Cleveland finally got back on track.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Jan. 3, 2022 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Mayfield went 11-5 that year, earned a playoff berth and won in the wild-card round to secure his first career playoff victory. Despite a loss in the divisional round, the football world believed Mayfield was the guy and Stefanski was finally the coach needed to right the ship.
But after going 6-8 in his fourth season in Cleveland, Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers following the Browns’ trade with the Houston Texans for Watson.
Just like that, Mayfield’s time with the Browns was over and he was forced back into a quarterback competition. He won over Sam Darnold to start the 2022 season, but after going 1-5 to start the season, the Panthers released him.
Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, and head coach Sean McVay made the best of the situation, which included inserting the Oklahoma product into a game two days after joining the team. He led the team to a come-by-behind victory.
While it would be Mayfield’s only win with the Rams, the Bucs gave him another crack at being a starting quarterback following Tom Brady’s retirement following the 2022 campaign. Mayfield led the Bucs to the playoffs in year one, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles at home in the wild-card round.
The Buccaneers gave Mayfield a three-year, $100 million deal to be their starter for the foreseeable future.
Baker Mayfield took a shot at his former Browns coach, Kevin Stefanski, who now leads the Bucs’ NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons. (GETTY)
So even if things worked out for Mayfield, who never gave up on his NFL starting hopes, it seems he would have at least wanted a phone call from his coach.
Stefanski finished his tenure in Cleveland with a 45-56 record in 101 career games. Now he will work with quarterback Michael Penix, running back Bijan Robinson and the rest of the young cornerstone pieces in Atlanta.
