Baker Mayfield gave his former head coach a warm welcome into the NFC South. Well, not exactly.
In response to a post on X that stated newly-hired Atlanta Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski had a “dumpster fire at quarterback” during his six-year tenure in Cleveland, Mayfield didn’t hold back. He said he’s “still waiting on a text/call” from Stefanski explaining the quarterback’s departure.
Mayfield started 59 games across four seasons in Cleveland after the Browns selected him with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Before Stefanski arrived, as a rookie, Mayfield set a record for touchdown passes with 27, which was ultimately surpassed by Justin Herbert (31) in 2020 and Bo Nix (29) in 2024.
Then in Year 1 of Stefanski, in 2020, Mayfield helped the Browns achieve an 11-5 record, and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round. But in the following season — 2021 — the Browns went 8-9 and missed the playoffs. And after a 26-24 loss to Pittsburgh in Week 17, which ensured the Browns would miss the postseason, Stefanski benched Mayfield. The quarterback had completed just 42% of his passes and threw two interceptions in that fateful game against the Steelers.
Later that offseason, the Browns traded Mayfield to Carolina for a conditional 2024 draft pick. He was traded again, in the middle of the 2022 season, to the Los Angeles Rams, where he revived his career. He then landed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the team to consecutive NFC South division titles.
Stefanski remained in Cleveland until he was fired at the end of the 2025 season, bringing the team to the playoffs just once since it traded Mayfield away. On Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons hired Stafanski as their next head coach, meaning he’d compete against Mayfield and the Buccaneers twice in the upcoming season, and as long as the two are with their respective teams.
“Can’t wait to see you twice a year,” Mayfield wrote in his post.
With a petty undertone, he’s certainly embracing the animosity.
