Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield set to face former team Browns in Tampa

Baker Mayfield will meet the Cleveland Browns in Tampa on Sunday, marking his second matchup against the team he left in 2022. The game also pits Mayfield against a Browns squad led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, whose pursuit by Cleveland prompted Mayfield’s trade request.

Former Browns quarterbacks coach and current Buccaneers senior offensive assistant Deshaun Zampese told ESPN, "They had the guy, and they gave him up," referring to Mayfield’s exit from Cleveland. During his tenure with the Browns, Mayfield guided the team to a playoff berth and a wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 season, the franchise’s first postseason victory since 1994.

Mayfield reflected on his time in Cleveland, saying, "With any experience, there's ups and downs, good and bad. Ultimately, you remember the good more so than the bad – the first time having a playoff win since ’94 there and going on the road and doing it in Pittsburgh. So it’s a lot of good memories there. A lot of teammates that are friends for life."

After a shoulder injury in the 2021 season and the Browns’ pursuit of Watson, Mayfield requested a trade and was dealt to the Carolina Panthers. He later joined the Los Angeles Rams before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he has won two NFC South titles, a playoff game, and secured a contract extension.

Zampese added, "He’s carrying all of us. He just got rewarded for the job he’s done, and we all have great confidence in him doing an even better job as we move forward. And I know he does too."