The Atlanta Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach, which means Stefanski will face Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice a year in the NFC South.
Stefanski and Mayfield were together with the Cleveland Browns, and while the ending didn’t go well, the Buccaneers QB responded to a comment on X on Tuesday that might have ignited the beef once again.
One Falcons beat writer said that Mayfield and Deshaun Watson “failed” during their time with Stefanski in Cleveland, but Mayfield wasn’t too thrilled about that.
“Failed is quite the reach pal. 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 wrote on X.
Failed is quite the reach pal. 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. https://t.co/jUUsYkvlOC
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) January 20, 2026
Stefanski was fired by the Browns after finishing with a 45-56 regular-season record in 101 games, but the Falcons quickly hired him after they had moved on from Raheem Morris.
The Browns selected Mayfield first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and Stefanski was his head coach beginning in 2020.
However, after the Browns’ blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans brought Watson to Cleveland, they traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional draft pick, thus ending the Mayfield run.
Mayfield started six games with the Panthers in 2022 before he was released, and he then signed with the Los Angeles Rams. He signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in the 2023 offseason, but he inked a three-year, $100.5 million extension in 2024 after a bounce-back campaign.
It sure seems that Mayfield hasn’t forgotten the way things ended in Cleveland, and the NFC South showdowns between the Falcons and Buccaneers now have another twist to keep an eye on.
