Baker Mayfield Walking Back Comments on Falcons' Kevin Stefanski

After Baker Mayfield called out Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski in January, the Tampa Bay quarterback is now walking back his statements a bit. Mayfield, who was speaking on radio row during the buildup to Super Bowl LX, addressed the comments he made in January.

“There’s stuff there, but it’s not like it’s beef,” Mayfield said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “We’ve worked together. Anytime you know somebody, you want to beat them, whether it’s a good or bad relationship.”

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He further explained that any motivation he has in 2026 to beat the Falcons is based on getting back on top of the NFC South, rather than beating Stefanski.

“Not a revenge game of a sense of Atlanta, but we lost the division for the first time since four or five years, so any divisional game will be a revenge game, I guess,” Mayfield said.

Despite what he may say now, the Buccaneer quarterback was quite clear about how he felt the relationship in Cleveland ended, taking to social media to make his point.

“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote on X in response to Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter. “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 was clearly still upset with how the marriage ended in Cleveland. After being taken No. 1 overall in 2018, Mayfield burst onto the scene with the Browns. He set the rookie record for touchdown passes (27), but he was on his third head coach in as many seasons by the time Stefanski arrived in 2020.

The pair led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time in two decades, and their first playoff win since 1994. Unfortunately, things went south in 2021 when Mayfield played through injuries, and the Browns stumbled to an 8-9 record.

The Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans soon after that, while Mayfield was sent to Carolina for a 2024 conditional fifth-round pick (per his request, not as a “piece of garbage”). He would then bounce around the NFL, but would rejuvenate his career in Tampa, where he has won a pair of NFC South titles since taking over in 2023.

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Stefanski took the high road when asked about his former quarterback’s comments.

“Baker's somebody that I have a ton of respect for as a player and a person,” Stefanski said. “I love rivalries in sports, and obviously, the Buccaneers and Falcons have a great rivalry. It's something that I'm excited about, but I would not get into the specifics of those types of things, other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player, as a person. That's a great team with a great player.”

Atlanta is 4-2 since Mayfield has taken over, but the subplots will make this matchup all the more interesting next season.