Joe Thomas Responds to Baker Mayfield's Shade of Kevin Stefanski After Viral Post on Falcons HC

Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas pushed back against the narrative presented by Baker Mayfield about his departure from the team.

Responding to a post about his Browns tenure, Mayfield said Tuesday he's "still waiting on a text/call" from former coach Kevin Stefanski. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback also asserted he "got shipped off like a piece of garbage."

Thomas countered that Mayfield could just as easily have initiated those conversations:

The retired offensive tackle isn't wrong. If Mayfield felt slighted by Stefanski, nothing was stopping him from speaking to his old coach directly.

But the two-time Pro Bowl QB has been pretty consistent about his frustration with how his exit from Cleveland went down.

"I feel disrespected. One-hundred percent because I was told one thing and they completely did another," he said in 2022 (via NFL.com's Nick Shook). "That's what I'm in the middle of right now. I got my taste of it because I've had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators."

Not to mention, Mayfield got plenty of blame externally for Cleveland's inability to build on its 2020 success and reach the playoffs the following year.

From his perspective, why should he be the person to mend any fences when Stefanski and the Browns were the ones who wanted him out?

Based on the evidence it had, Cleveland wasn't totally wrong for trading Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in 2022. He hadn't yet made the leap and the team was facing a tough decision about what to pay him on his next contract.

With the passage of time, Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry clearly misjudged the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner's value. He finally had his breakthrough with the Bucs in 2023.

Prior to Tuesday night, this felt like a situation where everyone should let sleeping dogs lie. Mayfield is in a better place, and Stefanski is no longer coaching the Browns.

But Mayfield guaranteed next season's NFC South matchups between Tampa Bay and the Atlanta Falcons will be extra spicy.