Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield ripped amid latest chapter of alleged feud with Falcons' Kevin Stefanski

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield indicated he's not on good terms with newly hired Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski after Mayfield fired a shot directed at Stefanski related to the Cleveland Browns trading Mayfield "like a piece of garbage" when Stefanski was Cleveland's head coach in 2022. 

For years, pockets of Cleveland fans and other members of the NFL community have ripped the Browns for replacing Mayfield with Deshaun Watson in March 2022. The move has been nothing short of a disaster for Cleveland. On Wednesday, Browns insider Jason Lloyd of The Athletic suggested that Mayfield did plenty during and after the 2021 season to cause the club to go in a different direction at that time.

Baker Mayfield "went radio silent" on the Browns before they began pursuing Deshaun Watson

"If Mayfield wants to pout over how he was treated on his way out the door, he needs to recognize his own role in it," Lloyd wrote. "He stopped taking calls from Browns personnel — including owner Jimmy Haslam. He went radio silent on the organization after the ’21 season before they began courting Watson."

One "Mayfield confidant" previously told Lloyd: "If your wife stopped talking to you for weeks, eventually you’re going to ask for a divorce." 

Mayfield played through a serious injury to his non-throwing shoulder throughout the 2021 season. In May 2022, a report revealed that people "close to Mayfield...wondered at the time if the Browns were trying to make Mayfield look as hapless as possible" as he endured nine sacks in a "Monday Night Football" loss at the rival Pittsburgh Steelers late in that campaign. 

More recently, it was said that Mayfield and Stefanski "had major beef in 2021" that "was bubbling under the surface most of the season." 

Is history repeating itself for Baker Mayfield?

Mayfield suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder this past fall that seemed to bother him as the Buccaneers went from 6-2 to 8-9 en route to missing the playoffs. Lloyd seems to think history may be repeating itself for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. 

"Now the Buccaneers are facing the same hard questions Browns personnel once had to answer," Lloyd added. "Mayfield is entering the final year of his deal in Tampa. He has been a success for the Bucs, but is he worth a top-scale quarterback contract? If not, then what?" 

The "then what" is a big question considering Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles will likely be on the hot seat. For now, Bowles and Co. will have to hope Mayfield is back at his best later this year and will be able to stay healthy next season.