Baker Mayfield returns to a familiar storyline in Week 2, but Tampa Bay’s quarterback is trying to keep the focus on correcting the turnovers that helped sink the Buccaneers in their opening loss.
SEO Title: Baker Mayfield Faces Browns as Buccaneers Seek Week 2 Response
SEO Description: Baker Mayfield prepares to face Cleveland as the Buccaneers look to rebound from their Week 1 loss, while Deshaun Watson remains the Browns’ starting quarterback.
Headline: Baker Mayfield Set for Browns Reunion as Buccaneers Host Cleveland
TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield will see the Cleveland Browns again Sunday, this time as the established quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and with a recent contract extension behind him.
Mayfield’s first season opener against Cleveland came in 2022, when he played for the Carolina Panthers. Jacoby Brissett started for the Browns that day because Deshaun Watson was serving an 11-game NFL suspension, and Carolina fell 26-24. Watson is now set to start for Cleveland in Tampa.
Buccaneers senior offensive assistant and pass-game specialist Ken Zampese, who coached Mayfield in Cleveland in 2018, believes the Browns let go of a quarterback who had already shown he could change the franchise’s direction.
“They had their quarterback and moved on from him,” Zampese said.
Mayfield went 29-30 as Cleveland’s starter and helped deliver one of the franchise’s most significant wins in years. The Browns reached the postseason in 2020 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 on the road, ending a 26-year wait for a playoff victory. Mayfield threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns before Cleveland lost 22-17 to Kansas City in the AFC divisional round.
He said those are the memories that remain strongest from his four seasons with the Browns.
“Every stop has positives and negatives,” Mayfield said. “The playoff win stands out — going into Pittsburgh and winning after the organization had not done that since 1994. There are also a lot of former teammates who will be lifelong friends.”
Cleveland exit followed difficult 2021 season
Mayfield’s final Browns season was shaped by injuries and public scrutiny. He suffered a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder during Week 2 of the 2021 campaign and played with a stabilizing harness. Then-offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said the shoulder issue affected Mayfield’s mechanics, while the quarterback also dealt with knee and foot problems.
Mayfield also received threats through social media and was criticized publicly by Odell Beckham Jr.’s father. Earlier in his Cleveland tenure, Mayfield drew backlash for calling former coach Hue Jackson “fake,” while his brother, Matthew, expressed frustration with the organization online in 2018.
Zampese said highly drafted quarterbacks can face impossible expectations before they have a chance to establish themselves.
“When a quarterback is picked that high, people immediately measure him against every past player and every organizational failure,” Zampese said. “That can put him in a position where he is expected to fail.”
In March 2022, two months after Mayfield had shoulder surgery, he learned through social media that Cleveland was pursuing a trade for Watson. Mayfield said at the time that the relationship could not be repaired and that a separation served both sides.
The Browns acquired Watson from Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal. Cleveland subsequently sent Mayfield to Carolina for a conditional draft pick in July 2022.
Carolina released Mayfield that December. He then joined the Los Angeles Rams for a short stretch, where he said he rediscovered his enjoyment of the game while working in Sean McVay’s offense. That stop also connected him with Liam Coen, now Jacksonville’s head coach, and current Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
The Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a one-year prove-it contract in 2023. He led Tampa Bay to the NFC South crown and a wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles, then guided the club to another division title in 2024. After an injury-affected 2025 season for both Mayfield and the team, Tampa Bay committed to him with a three-year, $165 million extension.
Mayfield said faith and attention to the work in front of him have helped him handle each turn in his career.
“I can control my approach and whether I am doing things the right way,” Mayfield said. “I want to win because I am extremely competitive, but I have to trust that process and take it day by day.”
Ball security remains Tampa Bay’s immediate concern
Mayfield said during the summer that he had marked the Cleveland game after the schedule was released. But after he lost three fumbles in Tampa Bay’s 33-27 Week 1 defeat at Cincinnati, he kept his public response to the Browns matchup restrained.
“There is history there, obviously,” Mayfield said after the Bengals game. “There is no way around it.”
The quarterback’s attention this week has centered on his own performance, particularly avoiding the kind of mistakes that hurt the Buccaneers in Cincinnati. Zampese said Mayfield’s ability to separate emotion from execution should help him avoid letting the occasion become a distraction.
“That is part of playing quarterback,” Zampese said. “If emotions control you, it becomes a constant ride up and down. The key is using that energy for the next play instead of allowing previous events to weigh on you.”
Zampese called the Bengals loss a temporary setback and said Mayfield has approached this week with increased attention to protecting the football and avoiding the urge to force plays.
“He is the one carrying us,” Zampese said. “He was rewarded for what he has accomplished, and everyone here believes in him moving forward.”
Watson remains Cleveland’s starter
Watson will start for the Browns after new Cleveland coach Todd Monken confirmed the decision this week. Watson began the 2022 season suspended for 11 games and was fined $5 million for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy following accusations from more than two dozen women involving sexual assault and misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Two Texas grand juries declined to bring criminal charges.
His Cleveland tenure has also been interrupted by injuries. Watson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 10 of 2023, then tore his right Achilles tendon in Week 7 of 2024. He underwent surgery and required another operation after re-injuring the tendon in January 2025.
Watson owns a 9-11 record in 20 starts for the Browns. In Cleveland’s 34-10 Week 1 loss to the Jaguars, he threw one touchdown and one interception while taking five sacks.
Monken worked with Mayfield as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator in 2019, when the Browns went 6-10. He said he wishes he had done more to help Mayfield during that season and praised the quarterback’s competitiveness, production and leadership.
“I have always known how competitive Baker is,” Monken said. “I have said many times that I could have coached him better in 2019. You have to acknowledge what you can improve as a coach. You want players built the way Baker is built.”
Mayfield said one of his biggest lessons from Cleveland was learning to provide steadier leadership regardless of outside circumstances.
“You have to be the same person every day for the locker room, the staff and everyone around you,” Mayfield said. “Some things will be outside your control. If you spend all your time trying to fix those things, football can suffer. My job is to lead, run the offense and win.”
Week Ahead
The Buccaneers host the Browns on Sunday in Tampa Bay’s Week 2 matchup. Tampa Bay enters after a 33-27 loss at Cincinnati, while Cleveland comes off its 34-10 defeat against Jacksonville. Mayfield will face his former team with Watson starting at quarterback for the Browns.
