Baker Mayfield faces his old team in the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in Week 2 action. Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall pick, spent four seasons with the Browns before Cleveland traded him to the Carolina Panthers following the Deshaun Watson acquisition. Now in his fourth season with Tampa Bay and fresh off a 3-year extension worth more than $160 million, Mayfield spoke to reporters Wednesday about how he views his time in Cleveland.

Despite the way things ended, it doesn’t seem like Mayfield has any hard feelings toward the Browns. At least he’s not letting them out vocally. When asked Wednesday how he remembers his time in Cleveland.

“With any experience, there’s ups and downs, good and bad,” Mayfield stated. “Ultimately, you remember the good more so than the bad. Yeah, it’s the first time having a playoff win since ’94 there, and going on the road and doing it in Pittsburgh. So it’s a lot of good memories there. A lot of teammates that are friends for life, but like I said earlier, it’s a very different building now.“

Baker Mayfield’s comments reflect growth since leaving Cleveland

That last part rings true. The Browns are a very different building than when Mayfield was around nearly half a decade ago. The only players still remaining with Cleveland who were teammates with Mayfield are cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Grant Delpit. Other than that, you’ll be hard-pressed to find players or even coaches Mayfield spent time with, given the turnover on the roster and coaching staff since then.

Mayfield’s comments show real growth. He didn’t take any kind of shot at the Browns, even if he probably could have. He’s in his 9th NFL season now. He’s a father. He’s 31 years old. He’s grown as a person and a player, and his words reflect that maturity.

The 2021 season was the beginning of the end for Mayfield in Cleveland. He played through a shoulder injury and went 6-8 as a starter with 3,010 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. It was a season where it looked like Mayfield should have opted for surgery, gotten the shoulder fixed, and come back stronger in 2022. There’s a chance he’d still be with the Browns if he had.

Cleveland pushed Mayfield out after making the trade for Watson from the Houston Texans. Many folks in the Cleveland area would have much rather kept going with Mayfield post-2021 than make that deal, given what the Watson trade has meant for the franchise since 2022.

Mayfield will want to bounce back against his old team

Mayfield got a start against the Browns back in 2022 when he was with Carolina. Cleveland won that game, and Mayfield went 16-of-27 for 235 yards with a touchdown and interception.

This time around, he’s coming off a tough outing against the Cincinnati Bengals where Tampa Bay lost on the road and Mayfield had three fumbles lost. He’s going to want to get right against his old team, even if there are no hard feelings.

The Browns are going to have their hands full with their former No. 1 overall pick on Sunday. The question is whether their defense can slow him down, or if Mayfield has himself a big day.