When the Buccaneers and Falcons meet next NFL season, don’t expect to see a post-game handshake between Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski.
On Tuesday, The Tampa Bay quarterback slammed the former Browns head coach, who recently agreed to become the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons — the Bucs’ NFC South division rival.
Mayfield played for two seasons under Stefanski in 2020 and 2021 before being traded to the Carolina Panthers after Cleveland acquired Deshaun Watson from Houston.
Mayfield, the first-overall pick by the Browns in the 2018 NFL draft, took aim at Stefanski in a post on X replying to a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that labeled Mayfield as part of the “dumpster fire at quarterback” that Stefanski had to deal with.
What did Baker Mayfield say?
The outlet’s Falcons beat writer, D. Orlando Ledbetter wrote that under Stefanski, “Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson failed, which started a chain reaction to 11 other starters.”
Mayfield fired back, saying that “failed is quite the reach,” before going all-in on his ex-coach.
“Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach,” Mayfield wrote.
Mayfield spent less than a season in Carolina before the team moved on to Sam Darnold as starting QB and released the former Oklahoma Sooners star. He finished the season with the L.A. Rams before joining the Bucs in 2023 and earning a third-place finish as the league’s comeback player of the year.
How is Deshaun Watson doing?
Meanwhile, Watson’s time in Cleveland began with a six-game suspension by the league after facing at least 23 allegations of sexual misconduct. He was then hampered by several injuries and played in just 19 games over the past four seasons and, when he did play, he has ranked among the worst quarterbacks in football.
His fully guaranteed, five-year, $230-million US deal signed in 2022 is considering one of the worst in sports history.
Do the stats back up Baker Mayfield?
Mayfield wasn’t the only one to push back against the assertion that he was part of the problem during his time with the Browns.
Ledbetter’s original post received context notes from X, highlighting how Mayfield led the Browns to an 11-5 record in a 2020 to secure their first playoff berth since 2002 and first playoff win since 1994. It also pointed out that the QB played through a significant shoulder injury in 2021.
Another user pointed out that Mayfield has thrived since leaving Cleveland, throwing for more than 14,400 pass yards, with 113 TDs against 47 INTs and a 69.1% completion percentage.
He also has made two Pro Bowl teams with the Bucs and led them to the playoffs in 2024 and 2025.
On the other hand, Stefanski has made just one playoff appearance without Mayfield and has a 26-43 record for a putrid .376 winning percentage.
While the NFL schedule will not be released until after this year’s draft in April, the Buccaneers and Falcons will meet twice in the regular season, setting up a blockbuster matchup between the two.