Baker Mayfield is eager to see the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield and the Buccaneers will host the Browns on September 20 at Raymond James Stadium. It will be Mayfield’s second matchup against Cleveland since the team traded him in 2022, but his first as a member of the Buccaneers.
“First home game, Week 2 — Cleveland,” Mayfield said during an appearance on the “4th & South” podcast with former Cleveland Browns teammate Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette.
Mayfield faced the Browns in his Carolina Panthers debut, suffering a 26-24 loss on a late field goal. Four years later, Tampa Bay has become a home for Mayfield, but he is entering a critical season with the Buccaneers. He has established himself as a franchise quarterback but will play out the final year of his three-year, $100 million contract after extension talks stalled.
The 31-year-old passed for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season as Tampa Bay finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs. However, Mayfield has been named a Pro Bowler twice during his time with the Bucs and has led them to two NFC South titles.
Baker Mayfield Still Has Strong Feelings About Browns Exit
Mayfield will have two other emotionally charged games on the schedule against former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was hired by the Atlanta Falcons in January. Stefanski’s hiring within Mayfield’s division created immediate friction. Mayfield responded to a reporter who described him as having “failed” during Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote on social media. “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.”
Stefanski later attempted to lower the temperature, saying he had “a ton of respect” for Mayfield as a player and person. Mayfield also clarified that he did not consider the situation a full-blown feud, although he acknowledged there was history between them.
Mayfield offered a broader perspective on his Browns tenure during his conversation with Landry. He credited former general manager John Dorsey and other members of the front office with changing the locker room, but suggested the organization was not always aligned.
“It was eye-opening to see that it wasn’t just football,” Mayfield said. “Going from college to the NFL, it wasn’t just about, ‘How do we win?’ There were a lot of people involved in it. And not everybody was trying to help us win. Not everybody was trying to do their part and play their role to do that. That was the most eye-opening part.
“There were ups and downs for sure. But when I came in back in 2018, the amount of high draft picks they had in the past couple of years, the free-agent signings — the culture was really starting to change. Some things you can’t change in a building, but you can change the locker room makeup, and they did a good job at that.”
Mayfield helped lead the Browns to the postseason in 2020, delivering the franchise’s first playoff victory in 26 years.
Browns Still Searching for Answer at Quarterback
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns looks on prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Carolina Panthers.
The Browns believed they had secured an upgrade when they acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and subsequently dealt Mayfield to the Panthers. It has been anything but a solution.
Cleveland sent Houston three first-round picks as part of the Watson trade and handed him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract. Injuries and inconsistent play have limited Watson to 19 appearances with the Browns since 2022. He missed all of last season after undergoing two surgeries on his right Achilles tendon.
The Browns are now weighing Watson against Shedeur Sanders in another quarterback competition. Cleveland will start Watson in their preseason debut on Saturday against the Chicago Bears.
Whoever wins the job will likely be leading Cleveland into Tampa Bay two weeks later, where Mayfield will be waiting for a matchup he has already circled.
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