The Cleveland Browns traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in July 2022 after infamously acquiring Deshaun Watson and signing him to an unprecedented, five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal.
Well into his stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mayfield is apparently still irked about how the whole thing went down.
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He responded to an article written by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter, who promoted the piece on X by writing on Tuesday that then-Browns and now-Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski had a “dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland.”
In that teaser, Ledbetter bluntly stated that Mayfield and Watson “failed.”
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield retorted on X. “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.”
The Falcons hired Stefanski to replace Raheem Morris this past Saturday. Morris went 16-18 in his latest head-coaching stint. Atlanta hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season. In all but one of the last eight seasons since, the Falcons have won seven or eight games.
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Although he ultimately posted a record of just 45-56 from 2020-25 in Cleveland, Stefanski is responsible for two of the Browns’ three double-digit-win campaigns this century.
The first of those occurred with Mayfield at quarterback. They went 11-5 in 2020 and advanced to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, something they hadn’t done since the 1994 season. Cleveland put up a fight against a Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs team, too.
The following season was a tumultuous one for Mayfield, who notably battled through a torn labrum on his non-throwing shoulder — an injury that eventually required surgery — and had to navigate Odell Beckham Jr. drama, which saw the star receiver’s dad post an Instagram video and several comments that appeared to disparage Mayfield days before Beckham was released by the Browns.
Mayfield skipped a postgame news conference after struggling in a victory over a winless Detroit Lions team. It was Mayfield’s fourth NFL season since going No. 1 overall out of Oklahoma, and he was dealing with lots of outside noise, including questions about his job security, and even death threats.
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While it initially appeared as if the Browns were sticking with Mayfield for the 2022 season, the Browns wound up pursuing Watson. Mayfield thanked Cleveland and its fans and then, soon after, demanded a trade. As Mayfield remained on the roster, he openly discussed how he felt “disrespected” by the organization.
In the summer, Mayfield was traded to the Panthers. His time in Carolina was short-lived, though. In fact, he was released almost five months after he was sent there. But later in the 2022 season, he revived his career with a remarkable comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders two days after the Los Angeles Rams claimed him off waivers.
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The rest is history. He got a chance with the Bucs, earned the QB1 job and has since made two Pro Bowls. The injury bug bit Mayfield this season, however, and his numbers were down.
Tampa Bay’s streak of four straight NFC South division titles came to an end. He’s eager to bounce back, including against Stefanski, who is now leading the rival Falcons.