Baker Mayfield isn’t hiding what Sunday means.
As the Browns head to Tampa Bay for a Week 2 meeting with their former quarterback, Mayfield made it clear he’s been thinking about this one. He said, “(I) spent four years there…started my career there, lots of ups and downs.”
He also added, “Anytime there’s history between a franchise, coaching staff, anybody, you want to come out on the winning side,”
That’s the heart of the matchup. The football matters, sure, but the history gives this game its edge. Mayfield’s time in Cleveland stretched across four seasons, and now he gets the Browns again with plenty of familiarity on both sides.
The bigger twist is that Cleveland’s current starter is the same quarterback who replaced him in 2022. The Browns wanted an “adult” in the quarterback room, and Mayfield was still developing during his time there. That eventually led to the Mayfield-Deshaun Watson trade, and now the two will finally meet head-to-head after arriving from their original teams.
There’s a clear contrast in how the two situations have played out. Watson has appeared in 20 games since the Browns acquired him in 2022. Mayfield, meanwhile, has won two division titles in Tampa Bay and recently signed a three-year extension with the Buccaneers.
Mayfield also has another familiar face across the sideline in Todd Monken, his former offensive coordinator in Cleveland, who is now back with the Browns as head coach. On that connection, Mayfield said, “My year with Todd wasn't the best year for the Browns in 2019.
We were kinda all over the place. Todd's obviously an aggressive playcaller, wants to spread the ball out...obviously known him for years so we'll see what happens.”
It’s another layer on top of an already loaded Week 2 game. Mayfield gets his shot at the team that drafted him, the quarterback who followed him, and the coach who once called his plays.
The Browns and Buccaneers both enter Sunday winless, and they’ll kick off from Raymond James Stadium at 1:00 p.m.
In Other News...
Browns Just Gave Shedeur Sanders A Familiar Boost Behind Watson
The Browns added a familiar face to their practice squad this week, signing wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. after his release from the Carolina Panthers. For Cleveland, it is another low-risk move aimed at adding depth and familiarity around a quarterback room that continues to take shape, and for Shedeur Sanders it brings in a receiver he already knows well from their time together at Colorado.
Horns arrival gives the Browns a chance to keep building chemistry behind the scenes while giving the wideout an opening to prove he can stick. Practice squad additions do not guarantee much, but they can matter in a season when injuries and roster churn can quickly create opportunity, and Cleveland will now get a closer look at whether that old college connection can turn into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watsons Latest Off-Field Issue Is Now Hanging Over The Browns
Deshaun Watsons latest off-field issue is now part of the Browns backdrop as they move through the opening stretch of the season. The quarterback was stopped by Ohio State Highway Patrol on Aug. 26 for driving 86 mph in a 60 mph zone, and he cooperated with the officer before receiving a citation. Watson later pleaded not guilty in Cleveland Municipal Court, with a bench trial set for Sept. 23.
The timing adds another layer of attention around a passer who is already trying to settle in on the field after a rocky opener. In Clevelands season debut, Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, threw a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked five times, then spoke about his performance and his physical condition following earlier injuries. For the Browns, the legal case is now set to linger alongside the football questions. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Thomas Admits How Dark Things Got With Those Browns
Joe Thomas has long been the face of patience through pain in Cleveland, but even he recently revisited just how draining those Browns years could be. In a podcast interview, the Hall of Fame left tackle said there was a moment when he played what he believed was a perfect game, only to walk off after a 30-0 loss to the New England Patriots feeling so overwhelmed that he cried. It was another reminder of what it meant to anchor a team that rarely gave him much help, even while he piled up Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors over an 11-year run.
Thomas also looked back on the bigger picture, saying that by his tenth season he understood the Browns were deep into a rebuild and not close to contending. For a player who endured only one winning season in Cleveland, that realization had to sting, especially for someone who had already given so much to the franchise. Even now, his reflections land with extra weight because they come from one of the most respected players in team history, a lineman whose excellence was often separated from the results around him. [Read more 🡒]