Recently, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield caused a stir when he posted a critical message of Stefanski dating back to their time with the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield said he was ‘shipped off like a piece of garbage,’ and that he looked forward to their respective teams meeting on the field in 2026.
During his introductory press conference on Jan. 27, Stefanski responded to Mayfield’s comments, saying he has nothing but positive things to say about the passer.
‘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, Buccaneers-Falcons have a great rivalry. It’s something I’m excited about. But I would not get into the specifics of those type 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.’
The Mayfield-Stefanski pairing led to the 2020 NFL Playoffs, with Cleveland defeating their AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the wild-card round, the organization’s first playoff win since 1994.
They would lose to the eventual AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
Mayfield played a large part of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury which required offseason surgery. In July 2022, the passer was traded to the Carolina Panthers, ending the once-promising QB-HC pairing.
After his release from the Panthers, Mayfield made a pitstop with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, and then would sign with the Buccaneers ahead of the 2023 season.
Stefanski’s time with the Browns would come to an end following the 2025 season, a 5-12 campaign which saw a quarterback carousel featuring Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders all taking snaps.
Now, Stefanski and Mayfield will be reunited on the field – only under much different circumstances.