Baker Mayfield Blasts Former Vikings Coach
Get your popcorn box out. The Atlanta Falcons hired ex-Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski last week, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had something to say about it. The two are evidently not pals.
A tweet revived old Browns scars, and the ripple even touched a former Vikings coach along the way.
Mayfield used X, the app formerly known as Twitter, to rip Stefanski on Tuesday night, providing new details about his split from the Cleveland Browns in 2021.
Baker Mayfield Reopens Old Wounds
Mayfield takes the fight to Stefanski.
The Mayfield Tweet
To set the table, Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter tweeted Tuesday, “Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland — Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson failed, which started a chain reaction to 11 other starters. QB Shedeur Sanders closed out last season with seven starts.”
Well, Mayfield found the tweet.
He retweeted, “Failed is quite the reach pal. 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.”
And just like that, a feud was born — if it wasn’t there already.
The Context
The Browns hired Stefanski in 2020 after he completed a strong showing as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2019, in addition to filling various roles in Minnesota since 2006. Stefanski inherited Mayfield, a then-second-year quarterback, who showed ample promise as a rookie.
Immediately, the pairing cooked, winning the Browns’ first playoff game in decades during Stefanski’s first season. Then, in 2021, Mayfield attempted to play through an injury — the Brett Favre tough guy persona — only to experience a production plunge. Giving Mayfield no grace, the team chose a path toward Deshaun Watson in the 2022 offseason, a curious choice because Watson was expensive, via contract and trade, and had sexual assault accusation baggage.
Mayfield bounced around to the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 free agency.
Mayfield still has beef, as Cleveland chose Watson over him — a horrendous decision in retrospect — and apparently didn’t treat him well on his way out the door.
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani added about the new quarrel, “Mayfield has a point. He wasn’t exactly a ‘dumpster fire failure in Cleveland. In 2020, he led the Browns to an 11-5 record, which resulted in their first playoff appearance since 2002 and helped the franchise win its first playoff game since 1994.”
“Cleveland hasn’t won a playoff game since that wild card victory the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Mayfield went 6-8 as the starter the following year as he tried to fight through a shoulder injury. That offseason, the Browns opted to join the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes and sent the Houston Texans a package of draft picks that included three first-round selections in exchange for Watson, who received a record five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract.”
Meanwhile, Watson will post a $131 million cap hit to the Browns’ books in 2026 if cut, an absolutely astronomical figure.
Dajani added about the Watson deal, “It’s regarded as one of the worst trades in NFL history, as Watson owns a 9-10 record as a starter for the Browns, and hasn’t played in more than seven games in any of the four years he’s spent with Cleveland.”
Mayfield’s Career Resurgence in Tampa Bay
Since taking over as the Buccaneers QB in 2023, Mayfield ranks first in starts — he hasn’t missed a game — second in touchdown passes, second in game-winning drives, and third in passing yards. His career has been totally revitalized in Tampa Bay.
On efficiency, here’s where Mayfield checks in via EPA+CPOE:
Baker Mayfield,
NFL Ranking,
per EPA+CPOE:
2023: 11th
2024: 6th
2025: 20th
Overall, since the start of 2023, he’s the league’s 15th-best quarterback per the same metric.
The Two Now Have Scheduled Meetings to Settle the Feud
This can be settled in the streets — also known as on the field.
Mayfield and Stefanski will naturally face each other at least twice annually, a rivalry that will add much-needed spice to a rather dull NFC South division. That foursome (TB, ATL, NO, CAR) has featured average-to-good teams since Tom Brady’s retirement, even at the top of the division, and in fact, the Carolina Panthers won the NFC South this season with a -69 point differential.
The New Orleans Saints are trending up, though, and the Mayfield + Stefanski grudge between the Buccaneers and Falcons should make everything better.
Mayfield is under contract in Tampa Bay through the end of the 2026 campaign and will likely receive an extension this offseason — probably in the ballpark of $55 million per year.
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