Kevin Stefanski and Baker Mayfield are about to get reacquainted-twice a year, in fact-as NFC South rivals. The Atlanta Falcons have tapped Stefanski as their new head coach after his six-year run with the Cleveland Browns, a tenure that began with promise and playoff football-thanks in part to a then-ascending Mayfield under center.
Now, Mayfield is the face of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and clearly hasn’t forgotten how things ended in Cleveland. The quarterback didn’t mince words on social media last week, firing off a pointed message aimed squarely at his former coach: “Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage,” Mayfield wrote. “Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”
Stefanski, for his part, didn’t take the bait. During his introductory press conference in Atlanta, he kept things professional and focused on football.
“I love rivalries,” he said. “I would not get into the specifics of those type of things other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player and a person.”
This brewing tension adds a compelling layer to an already interesting coaching move. Back in 2020, Stefanski and Mayfield looked like a strong duo.
That season, Cleveland snapped a 17-year playoff drought with an 11-5 record, and Mayfield posted a 95.9 passer rating-his best as a Brown. It was a moment of optimism for a franchise long starved for consistency.
But the good vibes didn’t last. The following year, Mayfield struggled through injuries and inconsistent play, finishing with a quarterback rating of 83.1, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over 14 games.
The Browns stumbled to an 8-9 finish, and the front office didn’t hesitate to look elsewhere. Rather than extend their former No. 1 pick, they went all-in on Deshaun Watson, trading multiple first-round picks and handing him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
The fallout was swift. Mayfield was shipped to Carolina for a conditional pick, and his 2022 season was rocky. But since landing in Tampa Bay, he’s flipped the script.
Over the past three seasons, Mayfield has quietly put together one of the league’s most productive stretches. He ranks third in passing yards (12,237), trailing only Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford.
He’s thrown 95 touchdowns-second to Goff-and holds a 97.4 passer rating while leading the Bucs to back-to-back NFC South titles. It’s been a full-circle comeback for a quarterback many had written off.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s gamble on Watson has yet to pay off. Injuries and inconsistency have limited him to just 19 games over four seasons, and the Browns have been forced to cycle through quarterbacks, searching for answers that still haven’t come. Stefanski, despite earning two Coach of the Year awards in Cleveland, was let go after a 5-12 campaign.
Now, he starts fresh in Atlanta, but the past isn’t far behind. Twice a year, he’ll face the quarterback whose career he helped revive-and whose departure still clearly stings. Mayfield, fueled by that chip on his shoulder, will be circling those Falcons matchups on his calendar.
This isn’t just a reunion-it’s a rivalry in the making. And with both men looking to prove something, those NFC South showdowns just got a lot more interesting.