Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield Reveals Honest Thoughts on Facing Browns

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday for their Week 2 matchup. The Bucs have plenty of motivation to win it as a team after falling 0-1 last Sunday at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals, but there's also some personal motivation for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, and despite winning a playoff game with the team in 2020, he was traded away to the Carolina Panthers in favor of QB Deshaun Watson. Mayfield had the lowest point of his career with Carolina and was released halfway through the year, and after a short stint with the Los Angeles Rams at the end of that season, he came to Tampa Bay and the rest — including a three-year, $165 million extension he signed this offseason — is history.

Mayfield doesn't forget about a slight. He made it well known that he wanted to beat the New York Jets last year because Steve Wilks, their defensive coordinator at the time, was the interim head coach when he was cut from the Panthers in 2022. In 2026, he mentioned he has similar motivation to beat the Browns.

"First home game's Cleveland," Mayfield told the Green Light with Chris Long podcast before the season. "I mean, there's no way to sugarcoat that one. That one means a lot."

When Mayfield was asked about the game during media on Wednesday, however, he had a more reserved answer.

Baker Mayfield Speaks on Upcoming Browns Matchup

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) drops back to throw in the first quarter of the NFL Week 1 game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mayfield stressed that while he did want to beat the Browns, the team looks quite different from when he last played there.

"Yeah, I think anytime – as I've mentioned to you guys, [when] there's history between a franchise, a coaching staff, anybody – there's always [that feeling of] you want to come out on the winning side of that no matter what. Obviously, it's very different there staff-wise and everybody.

"Yeah, I spent four years there. I'm going into year four here…I started my career there – [there were] a lot of ups and downs. But yeah, for me this week, [it's about] doing the little things right, continuing to try and just place the ball where it needs to go, and then obviously making the corrections I need to in ball security."

Mayfield's last head coach with the Browns was Kevin Stefanski, who is now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and one he'll be seeing twice a year (he made it known he was excited for that, too). Now, the team is led by Todd Monken, who told reporters Wednesday that he almost coached Mayfield in Baltimore when Mayfield was looking for a new home.

Despite the different look, though, it's clear Mayfield has had this game circled on the schedule. And after a dreadful three-fumble performance in Week 1, he'll be looking to get back on track against an opponent he almost certainly would love nothing more than to beat.

The Bucs play the Browns at 1 p.m. in Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 20.

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