Hue Jackson on Browns' Baker Mayfield: 'I've never had a player ever attack me that way'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 6/10/20

It appears current Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and former head coach Hue Jackson may not be exchanging Christmas cards this year.

Jackson infamously guided the Browns to an 0-16 mark for the 2017 season and then tallied a 2-5-1 record with the franchise in the first half of Mayfield's rookie campaign before the club fired him. The relationship between player and coach may have soured once Jackson named veteran Tyrod Taylor his starter over Mayfield until Taylor suffered an injury in the first half of a Week 3 game versus the New York Jets.

Mayfield guided the Browns to a come-from-behind victory over Gang Green and never lost the job. After the Browns parted ways with Jackson, he returned to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he'd previously served as an assistant and coordinator.

Jackson's decision to work for one of Cleveland's division rivals didn't sit well with the then-rookie QB, who stared his former coach down during a win and then snubbed him.

During a Wednesday appearance on 92.3 The Fan's "Baskin & Phelps" program, Jackson spoke about Mayfield.

(Jackson's comments on Mayfield begin around the 11:25 mark.)

"I have not had a chance to talk with him," Jackson said of Mayfield. When asked why things went south, Jackson said "I couldn't tell you. I wish I knew."

"I've never had that happen with a player before. I've coached...a lot of different personalities and players, different backgrounds, the whole nine yards. I've never had a player ever attack me that way."

Jackson added that he believes Mayfield, the first selection of the 2018 NFL Draft, has the talent to bounce back from a disappointing 2019 and live up to the expectations that come with being the No. 1 pick.

After Mayfield earned Pro Football Writers of America Rookie of the Year honors for '18, he matched 22 touchdowns with 21 interceptions last season. The Browns finished the campaign 6-10 and third in the division ahead of only the Bengals.

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