Baker Mayfield hasn’t been the quarterback of the the Cleveland Browns for nearly two months, yet he continues to make headlines by clashing with his former teammates and issuing comments that run afoul of his former fans.
Reporter Cynthia Frelund appeared on the Around the NFL podcast on Monday, August 29, where she claimed that Mayfield had some choice sentiments for his old team. Now a member of the Carolina Panthers, Mayfield is set to start the season opener against the Browns on September 11 — his first game since Cleveland traded him on July 6.
“I said, ‘Go kick some butt, especially Week 1, I cannot wait,'” Frelund told the hosts of her initial interaction with Mayfield.
“He used some expletives, and I was like, ‘I just hope you’re ready,'” Frelund continued. “And he said, ‘I’m going to f*** them up.'”
Mayfield changed his tune Wednesday when speaking with the media, denying that he said what Frelund reported.
Baker Mayfield: “Well first, I didn’t say it.”
Well first, I didn’t say it. Obviously, everybody’s gonna write whatever story they want. There’s history that I played there the last four years. I’m an extremely competitive person, everybody knows that. If I wasn’t wanting to win then there would be a really big issue with me being quarterback here. I wanna win in everything I do. That will never change.
That is not how I phrased it, that’s not even what I said, so I’ll just leave it at that. I didn’t even say anything. … All I did was agree [that] I hope we win.
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Browns’ Myles Garrett Calls Mayfield Out After Comments
Getty ImagesDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns responded to comments made by his former teammate Baker Mayfield ahead of their Week 1 matchup.
It may have been more than just the headlines that had Mayfield backpedaling Wednesday.
All Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, Mayfield’s former teammate in Cleveland, responded to the quarterback’s presumption that he and the Panthers will have the Browns’ number when they square off in Carolina.
“We’ve known he has that type of demeanor and that attitude, and for better or for worse, it works for him,” Garrett said Tuesday, per Cleveland.com. “And I’m not mad at him using that fire and that chip on his shoulder to help him play to the level he has. He’s been successful in what he’s done.”
“We’ll take it and we’ll use it, and I’m hoping for a great matchup,” Garrett continued. “I don’t think any less of him because he’s going out there and doing the same thing he did when he was with us. He’s the same guy personally, and maybe we’ll see a different Baker when we get on the field. Who knows?”
Browns Have Questions at QB Heading Into Matchup With Panthers
GettyQB Kellen Mond, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, participates in warmups before the start of a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 21, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Garrett and the Browns defense may need to play even better than normal if they hope to make Mayfield eat his words, as the offense could be prone to a shaky start this season.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended for the first 11 games of the year and backup Jacoby Brissett will start in his stead. Brissett has a good deal of experience as an NFL starter, but also carries a career record of just 14-23, per Pro Football Reference.
Behind Brissett is Josh Dobbs, who is coming off of a stellar preseason but has thrown only 17 passes in regular season action since he joined the league as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018.
The Browns cut quarterback Josh Rosen as part of a handful of moves to get the roster down to 53 players. However, the team headed to waivers not long after, acquiring 2021 third-round draft pick Kellen Mond, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
It is not out of the ordinary for franchises to carry three quarterbacks, designating one to the practice squad and keeping two on the active roster. But the Browns’ choice to bring in Mond is also an expression of the team’s internal awareness that quarterback is, and will continue to be, a question mark in Cleveland until Watson is eligible to return.
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Baker Mayfield Sounds Off After Disrespect of Browns Goes Viral