The Cleveland Browns begin the 2026 slate continuing to look for an answer behind center. With a Week 2 matchup versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Browns are getting a reminder of what they once had at quarterback.
Buccaneers signal-caller Baker Mayfield will face the Browns for the second time Sunday since Cleveland traded him in July 2022. It’s a deal that Tampa Bay senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist Ken Zampese said never should have happened.
“They had the guy,” Zampese told ESPN’s Jenna Laine of the Browns and Mayfield. “They had the guy and they gave him up.”
Zampese joined the Buccaneers coaching staff ahead of the 2026 season. But he previously worked with Mayfield as his quarterbacks coach during his rookie 2018 season in Cleveland.
The year we were there, we were one of the best offenses in the NFL the second half of that season, 5-3, in a place that was — before that season started — 1-31,” added Zampese. “The script got flipped and the city came alive because they finally drafted a quarterback that worked out for them and they mucked it up.
“They mucked it up.”
The Browns pursued and landed quarterback Deshaun Watson during the 2022 offseason. That led to Cleveland dealing Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional fifth-round pick.
Ex-Browns QB Coach Criticizes Cleveland for Baker Mayfield Trade
Mayfield ultimately had an unsuccessful Panthers tenure. In retrospect, though, no one blames Mayfield for that failure.
Carolina somehow had both Mayfield and fellow 2018 first-round quarterback Sam Darnold on their roster in 2022. Darnold posted a 4-2 record while Mayfield went 1-5 as a starter. But the Panthers kept neither quarterback.
Mayfield finished the 2022 campaign with the Los Angeles Rams before then joining the Buccaneers before 2023. In Tampa Bay, Mayfield has experienced a resurgence.
He’s averaged 7.3 yards per pass with 95 touchdowns and 37 interceptions in 52 games for Tampa Bay. Mayfield led the organization to two playoff appearances in his first three seasons and a postseason win.
During 2024, Mayfield had 41 touchdown passes while posting a 7.9 yards per pass average.
While maybe he remains outside the elite realm of quarterbacks, he’s far better than what Watson has been in Cleveland. That obviously stings, as the Browns could have just kept Mayfield without giving up all the money and draft capital for worse quarterback play in Watson.
Mayfield to Face Browns in Week 2
Ironically, Mayfield faced the Browns in his very first game for the Panthers. Mayfield hit some big plays, throwing for 235 yards on just 27 attempts. But he completed only 59.3% of his passes with one touchdown and an interception while Cleveland won the matchup 24-22.
Jacoby Brissett, though, started that game for the Browns. On Sunday, Mayfield will get the opportunity to face the quarterback who replaced him for the first time.
Mayfield has held the reputation of making things a little personal in his career. But that’s led to his swagger, which has turned him into a fan favorite at every NFL stop he’s made.
However, the quarterback downplayed the matchup to the media this week.
“Yeah, I spent four years there. I’m going into year four here. … I started my career there — (there were) a lot of ups and downs,” Mayfield said. “But yeah, for me this week, (it’s about) doing the little things right, continuing to try and just place the ball where it needs to go, and then obviously making the corrections I need to in ball security.”
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