Sometimes, NFL rivalries are born in the trenches. Sometimes they’re born in the comments section. When Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield posted in January that he “can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach,” the internet did what it does best, screenshotted, speculated, and circled the calendar. The Coach, of course, was Kevin Stefanski.
Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski Are Not Quite Rivals But Also Not Quite Friends
Stefanski is the former Cleveland Browns head coach who is now the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach. The subtext in Mayfield’s comment wasn’t subtle. Mayfield had previously described his Browns exit as being “shipped off like a piece of garbage.” That kind of phrasing doesn’t exactly whisper closure. But as it turns out, the story may be less a revenge tour and more an unresolved footnote.
During a Super Bowl 60 radio row appearance with Sports Illustrated, Mayfield sounded less like a man sharpening knives and more like a competitor who simply keeps receipts. “There’s stuff there, but it’s not like it’s beef,” he said. “We’ve worked together, anytime you know somebody, you want to beat them whether it’s a good or bad relationship.” It’s a refreshing human answer. Not a denial. Not a declaration of war. Just the acknowledgement that shared history tends to complicate things.
Mayfield’s history with the Browns began like a rom-com meet-cute, hopeful, electric, brimming with possibility. Drafted No. 1 in 2018, he set a then-rookie record with 27 touchdown passes and looked every bit like the long-awaited franchise savior.
By 2020, under Stefanski, his third head coach in three seasons, Mayfield helped the Browns to their first playoff berth in nearly 20 years and their first postseason win since 1994. It felt like a turning point. The kind of chapter you underline.
Then 2021 happened. Injuries. Inconsistency. An 8-9 finish. The fairytale frayed. He had a score of 69.6 on PFSN’s QB Impact metric. And soon enough, Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers. From there, his career became a carry-on bag: a stint with the Los Angeles Rams, and finally, a longer stay with the Buccaneers.
In all the movement, he has faced Stefanski once, a narrow Week 1 loss in 2022 while starting for Carolina. He threw for 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 26-24 defeat. Close enough to hurt. Not close enough to rewrite anything.
Now that Stefanski is leading the Atlanta Falcons, the reunion becomes semiannual. Twice a year. Division stakes. No need for dramatic lighting; the schedule does that on its own. Nevertheless, Mayfield insists the upcoming matchups aren’t revenge games.
“No, not really,” he said. “I mean, well, 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.”
There’s even room for levity. While promoting Sonic Drive-In during Super Bowl week, burger and fries in hand, Mayfield was asked if he’d ever share a meal with Stefanski. His answer felt half-joke, half-maybe. “Maybe we will have one after the game in Atlanta,” he said. “I don’t know. I have two opportunities to see next year if we are going to share a burger.”
For his part, Stefanski has taken the high road, publicly expressing respect for Mayfield as both a player and a person. No barbs. No rebuttals. Just the steady calm of a coach who understands that rivalries don’t need extra seasoning. And maybe that’s the truth of it: this isn’t a feud. It’s familiarity with the stakes.
