Kevin Stefanski was formally introduced as the Falcons’ head coach on Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, and with it came a look back at his time in Cleveland—and more specifically, with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Upon Stefanski’s hire being announced last week, Mayfield took it upon himself to take quite the shot at his former coach in response to a post from a Falcons beat writer suggesting that the Browns not only had a “dumpster fire” at quarterback during his time there, but that Mayfield himself had “failed” under center.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”
Mayfield, of course, was infamously sent from Cleveland to Carolina after the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to the largest fully guaranteed contract in NFL history. Since then, Mayfield has rebounded nicely, earning multiple Pro Bowl appearances and making multiple playoff appearances with Tampa Bay—a team that just so happens to play in the NFC South with the Falcons. Stefanski addressed his former quarterback’s comments on Tuesday.
“Baker’s somebody I have a ton of respect for as a player and a person,” he said. “I love rivalries in sports and obviously Buccaneers-Falcons have a great rivalry, it’s something that I’m excited about. I would not get into the specifics of those type of things other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player, as a person. That’s a great team with a great player.”
A cookie-cutter answer for a breakup in Berea, Ohio that was anything but.
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