Baker Mayfield lashes out at criticism of time in Cleveland, blasts Kevin Stefanski for trading him without communication

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield reacted strongly to a tweet that suggested he was a failure with the Cleveland Browns. And he threw quite the barb at then-Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was recently tapped for the head job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Mayfield played for the Browns from 2018-2021, giving him more than a year’s worth of crossover with Stefanski. Stefanski took over in early 2020.

Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter tweeted a link to an article for the Atlanta Journal Constitution breaking down the “dumpster fire at quarterback” that Stefanski had in Cleveland. He noted that Baker Mayfield, along with Deshaun Watson, “failed, which started a chain reaction” to a revolving door at the position.

Mayfield took exception. Vigorously.

“Failed is quite the reach pal,” he wrote on 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.”

Baker Mayfield has certainly had a career revival of sorts in Tampa Bay. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2024, following terrific campaigns.

Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023, then exceeded those figures in 2024. He threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024. That yardage total ranked third in the league, while the touchdown figure tied for second.

Taking over for Tom Brady and maintaining a high level of success was not likely to be an easy task, but Baker Mayfield has made it look possible. He guided the Buccaneers to back-to-back NFC South titles in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and the franchise barely missed out on another in 2025.

Suffice it to say, there will now be an exceptionally juicy matchup in the division twice a year going forward. Clearly there’s no love lost between Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski.