Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield sings different tune about facing Browns, discusses moving past Bengals loss

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield once admitted that he felt "like a piece of dirty laundry" after the Cleveland Browns, his employer at the time, acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and then signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract.

Thus, one may think that Mayfield would have revenge on his mind heading into this coming Sunday's home game against the 0-1 Browns. However, he suggested while speaking with reporters on Wednesday that he has since moved on from all that happened over four years ago.

Baker Mayfield remembers "the good more so than the bad" regarding his Browns tenure

"Yeah, I mean, with any experience, there’s ups and downs, good and bad," Mayfield said, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Ultimately, you remember the good more so than the bad. Yeah, first time having a playoff win since ’94 there. And going on the road and doing it in Pittsburgh. So, a lot of good memories there. A lot of teammates that are friends for life. But like I said earlier, it’s a very different building now."

The coaching staff that played a part in the Browns moving on from Mayfield in 2022 is no longer with the organization. That said, Andrew Berry is still the club's general manager. 

The Browns made Mayfield the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he guided Cleveland to a postseason win at the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in January 2021. That was the first playoff victory the "new Browns" had earned since the franchise returned to the league in 1999, and Cleveland hasn't notched another postseason win since. 

While Mayfield's camp and the Buccaneers agreed to a three-year extension reportedly worth $165M earlier in September, Cleveland trading for and paying Watson is seen as one of the worst decisions ever made by an NFL team. It's believed Watson could be benched for good as soon as the Tampa Bay game, and he seemingly has no future with the Browns. 

Baker Mayfield making sure to "harp on little details" after mistakes in Week 1 loss

Mayfield lost three fumbles in the Buccaneers' 33-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 13. He seems to understand he needs to focus this week on more than just wanting to beat his former team. 

"Taking it one day at a time, making sure that you harp on little details," Mayfield added during his comments. "That goes back to, obviously, not coming out on the right side of the game last week, of really focusing on the small details. And so, when you do that, good things will happen on Sundays. So, for me, focusing on that and then when the lights come on, you get out there and play, it’s time to go — let it loose."

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers as 8.5-point home favorites over the Browns.