Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield addresses his feud with ex-HC Kevin Stefanski

Baker Mayfield is suddenly downplaying his one-sided feud with Kevin Stefanski.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback downplayed the notion of any rivalry with Stefanski, his former coach with the Cleveland Browns. That would appear to be a change in tactic from his negative reaction when the Atlanta Falcons hired Stefanski.

“There’s stuff there, but it’s not like its beef,” Mayfield told Sports Illustrated, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “We’ve worked together, anytime you know somebody, you want to beat them whether it’s a good or bad relationship.”

Mayfield’s comments are a bit more conciliatory than what he said when Stefanski was hired. At that point, Mayfield made it sound like he very much had a personal vendetta against his former coach. Now, Stefanski is just a rival.

Stefanski, for his part, sought to downplay any real animosity between the two. Even if Mayfield is joining him in turning the temperature down, expect the Buccaneers quarterback to be extra motivated for their two meetings in 2026, which could be bad news for the Falcons.