Baker Mayfield excoriates Kevin Stefanski for getting ‘shipped off like a piece of garbage’

Baker Mayfield does not seem to have fond memories of Kevin Stefanski. 

The Buccaneers quarterback took aim at Stefanski on social media on Tuesday in response to a post by a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that labeled Mayfield as part of the “dumpster fire at quarterback” that Stefanski had during his time as head coach of the Browns. 

Stefanski, who was hired as the Falcons’ head coach over the weekend, coached Mayfield for two seasons (2021 and ’21) before the Browns traded the QB to the Panthers. 

“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote in response to D. Orlando Ledbetter, who painted the QB’s time in Cleveland as a “failed” in post on X. “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, the No. 1 draft pick in 2018, played four seasons in Cleveland. His tenure with the Browns ended on a sour note, with Cleveland unceremoniously trading away Mayfield after it brought in controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson in a swap with the Texans. 

Mayfield split the 2022 season between the Panthers and the Rams before ending up with the Bucs in 2023, playing in Tampa Bay ever since. 

Mayfield’s time in Cleveland was highlighted by the fact that he, along with Stefanski, had helped lead the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years during the 2020 season. 

However, Mayfield dealt with a torn labrum the next year that hindered the team’s momentum. 

With Stefanski — who was fired by the Browns after a five-win 2025 — now at the helm in Atlanta, Mayfield will get the chance to see his former head coach twice next season, setting up for rather interesting games between the Falcons and Buccaneers. 

While it seemed like time erased any hard feelings about Mayfield’s exit from Cleveland, it appears that the quarterback was waiting for the right time to use it as motivation.