New Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski is taking the high road when it comes to comments recently made by Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield publicly blasted Stefanski last week when the former Cleveland Browns quarterback fired back at a writer who said Stefanski never had good quarterbacks in Cleveland. The current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback alleged that Stefanski never reached out to speak to him after he “got shipped off like a piece of garbage,” by Cleveland. Mayfield also said he was looking forward to facing the Falcons twice a year in the NFC South.
Unsurprisingly, Stefanski was not willing to pour any fuel on the situation Tuesday when he was introduced as the new Falcons coach. He essentially said he enjoyed the idea of a rivalry, but had nothing but positive things to say about Mayfield.
“I love rivalries. I would not get into the specifics of those hype of things other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player and a person,” Stefanski said.
Kevin Stefanski on Baker Mayfield's comments: "I love rivalries. I would not get into the specifics of those hype of things other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player and a person."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) January 27, 2026
Mayfield spent two seasons playing for Stefanski in Cleveland. They went 11-5 together and made the playoffs in 2020, but the Browns quickly moved on from Mayfield after acquiring Deshaun Watson one year later. That trade turned into a disaster for the Browns, while Mayfield re-established himself as a legitimate playoff-caliber starter with the Buccaneers.
Mayfield has never been shy about making it personal with people he thinks have wronged him in the past. The whole situation wound up working out for him, but he is still going to use his history with Stefanski to fuel him.
