Getty
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Neither quarterback Baker Mayfield nor head coach Kevin Stefanski remain with the Cleveland Browns, but the bad blood is still boiling after their two years together in 2020 and 2021.
Mayfield, now the $100 million quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who won the NFC South Division and made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons with the team (2023, 2024), called out Stefanski for the way he handled the quarterback’s exit from Cleveland.
Mayfield’s comments came as part of a response to an Atlanta Falcons beat writer who claimed Mayfield “failed” during his time with the Browns. The Falcons hired Stefanski as their new head coach over the weekend following Cleveland’s decision to fire him earlier this month after six years on the job.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield responded in a repost of D. Orlando Ledbetter’s comments, which he wrote on X Tuesday, January 20. “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.”
Deshaun Watson Debacle Ended Baker Mayfield’s Tenure With Browns
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns
Mayfield and Stefanski went 11-5 together in 2020, made the playoffs and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers over Wild Card Weekend to earn the franchise’s first postseason victory in 26 years. That was Stefanski’s first season in Cleveland, for which he won the NFL Coach of the Year award.
The Browns went 8-9 the following campaign, while Mayfield posted a record of 6-8 as the starter and battled a shoulder injury down the stretch that proved severe enough to require surgery.
During the subsequent offseason, Cleveland traded three first-round picks and several other draft assets to the Houston Texans in return for three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson. The team then inked Watson to a five-year contract worth $230 million, which it fully guaranteed.
Kevin Stefanski Posted One Winning Season With Browns After Baker Mayfield’s Departure
GettyHead coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.
One can make valid arguments that both the trade and contract were the worst transactions of their kind in NFL history. There is very little argument that the two transactions don’t combine to create the most disastrous player acquisition in the history of American professional sports.
It is unclear how in favor, or how opposed, Stefanski was to those decisions. The same is true for general manager Andrew Berry, who survived in that role this offseason despite Stefanski losing his job.
But regardless of his position on the trade and/or the contract, both of which have crippled the organization for years, Stefanski presided over the Watson and post-Watson eras. The quarterback is entering the final year of his deal in 2026, but multiple contract restructures will see the Browns continue paying Watson significant money through at least 2029.
Stefanski mustered one winning season after Mayfield departed in 2022. The Browns went 11-6 in 2023 with Joe Flacco under center down the stretch, made the playoffs and got immediately stomped by the Texans during the Wild Card Round. Stefanski also won Coach of the Year honors for his work in that season.
All told, Stefanski owns a record of 45-56 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. Mayfield is 58-62 in the regular season as a starter and 2-3 in the playoffs.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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