Baker Mayfield blasts Falcons coach, beat writer over bitter Browns split
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
With Kevin Stefanski named the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Baker Mayfield will get an opportunity to play against his former Cleveland Browns head coach for the first time.
Don’t expect it to be a friendly meeting, though.
Mayfield, who has settled in as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback and is now playing the best football of his career, asked for a trade away from the Browns organization after it traded for Deshaun Watson. After a disappointing stint with the Carolina Panthers, Mayfield found a spark during a brief spell with the Los Angeles Rams before signing with the Bucs. The rest is history.
On Tuesday, Mayfield’s bitter feelings toward Stefanski surfaced on social media.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter promoted a story about the revolving door of quarterbacks under Stefanski, saying on X that Mayfield and Watson had both failed before the organization went through nearly a dozen more starters before Shedeur Sanders took over.
“Failed is quite the reach, pal,” Mayfield clapped back. “Still waiting on a text/call from (Stefanski) after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”
We won’t know exactly when the Falcons and Bucs play each other until this summer. Suffice it to say, though, that the NFC South rivalry just got even spicier.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
