Baker Mayfield just took a blow torch to new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski on social media
The Bucs’ franchise quarterback just took the NFC South rivalry to a new level with his comments on Twitter (X).
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield is as fiery of a competitor as you’re going to find. Even casual NFL fans know that with the bravado and toughness that he shows when he’s on the field.
Mayfield also has, like any true competitor, internalized doubt and used it as fuel to succeed. And he’s had plenty of opportunities to do that over the first eight years of his NFL career. The first overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2018, he led the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years n 2020. His head coach in Cleveland was new Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for Mayfield in Cleveland, who was traded to Carolina in July 2022. And the way that trade went down still is stuck in Mayfield’s craw, particularly when it comes to his former head coach.
D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution noted for a piece he wrote about how the Browns had a supposed “dumpster fire” at quarterback with Mayfield and DeShaun Watson. Mayfield responded to the article on Twitter (X) and took aim straight at his former head coach.
Baker Mayfield goes off on Kevin Stefanski on Twitter (X) from their time together in Cleveland
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote. “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.”
Whoa.
It’s clear that Baker took it personally that his former head coach, apparently, never reached out to him after he was traded to Carolina to see how he was doing. And now, after a circuitous path by Mayfield, the two are on a collision course to face off twice next season in what will certainly be appointment television.
Mayfield’s time in Carolina turned out to be a bust, and the former Brown was granted his release in December 2022. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams and finished the season there by leading a last-minute comeback against the Raiders on Thursday Night Football and engineering a 51-14 win over the Denver Broncos.
The following offseason, the Bucs signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million deal, and the rest was history. Mayfield has been, through the majority of three seasons, everything Bucs fans could have hoped for and more after Tom Brady’s retirement.
The Falcons have been a thorn in the Bucs’ side the last two seasons, winning three of four matchups. But next time around, the most important player on the Bucs’ roster will have his own personal motivation as Tampa Bay looks to get back on top of the division in 2026.
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