Getty Images Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield is not a fan of the Big 12 cracking down on the “Horns Down” gesture and the Cleveland Browns quarterback had a message for his college rival on Twitter.
The Big 12 announced that they would be cracking down on the controversial gesture in part of a larger movement to minimize taunting.
“Lemme put it this way,” Big 12 coordinator of officials Greg Burks said at Big 12 media days on Thursday. “If you do a Horns Down to a Texas player as an opponent, that’s probably going to be a foul.”
Mayfield — a well-documented user of the horns down gesture — did not like the thought of that one bit, voicing his opinion on Twitter.
“NSFW. The following content might offend some viewers, the mentally weak ones of course,” Mayfield tweeted, with the hashtags #Boomer #ZebrasProtectingLonghorns.”
**NSFW** The following content might offend some viewers, the mentally weak ones of course…. #Boomer #ZebrasProtectingLonghorns
Baker Mayfield Has No Problem Trolling Texas Fans
Mayfield is a native of Texas but played his college ball at Oklahoma, winning a Heisman with the Sooners. He spent three years as the starter in Oklahoma, from 2015-17, notching 119 touchdowns and just 21 interceptions in 40 games. He went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and for the most part has remained the polarizing player he was at the college level.
Mayfield went 2-2 against Texas during his college career, winning the final two matchups. He sent a message to Longhorns fans before the Red River Rivalry game on social media using the horns down gesture.
He also had a spat with former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, which he made clear in a radio interview.
“His opinion on anything winning…Westlake’s a great program, but the two best quarterbacks to come out of there are Drew Brees and Nick Foles. Sam can stay down there in Texas,” Mayfield said in a radio interview in 2019. “… That’ll stir the pot. He doesn’t like me, and I hope he knows I don’t like him either.”
.@bakermayfield made it clear that Texas is NOT back. And, he had some thoughts on the Longhorns’ starting QB, Sam Ehlinger, with @TedLehman11 and @Tyler_McComas. #Sooners
Mayfield put his beef with Ehlinger earlier this offseason when his brother, Jake, passed away, offering his condolences and support.
“Prayers up for you and your family man,” Mayfield wrote, tagging Ehlinger. “Extremely sorry for your loss. City of Austin is here for y’all.”
Baker Mayfield Focused on Future With Browns
While Mayfield couldn’t help himself from throwing a jab at an old rival, the quarterback’s focus right now is on his future with the Browns. Mayfield is entering his fourth season in Cleveland and is coming off his best performance as a pro.
Last year Mayfield surged down the stretch, helping lead Cleveland to a playoff berth and first-round win against the Steelers, passing for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns, and — more importantly — a career-low eight interceptions.
“Baker, over the past year, has shown an enormous amount of growth, and I think that’s both on the field and then, quite honestly, off the field as well. So, we are excited,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said of Mayfield in March, per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk. “He’s going into his first offseason where the coaching staff, offensive system is exactly the same not to mention that there’s been very little turnover on the offensive side of the ball, and we’re excited about him continuing to make strides under Kevin [Stefansk]’s tutelage in this offense because we think he’s a very talented player.”
Mayfield’s improved decision-making helped the Browns tremendously and the team now has to decide if he’s the long-term solution. The team picked up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, linking him to the team for at least the next two years. The next move is a long-term extension, although the timing and value has been debated at length.
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Browns QB Baker Mayfield Sends Message to Rival