Dec 28, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws downfield during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Baker Mayfield gets another opportunity to face the team that drafted him No. 1 overall and ultimately decided to move on from him.
Despite spending only four seasons with the Browns, Baker Mayfield still has the most wins of any Browns quarterback since they returned to the NFL in 1999 with 30. Mayfield gets a chance to square off today against his former team, which traded him away after acquiring Deshaun… pic.twitter.com/VIBCJANrNA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2026
In Week 2 of the NFL season, Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Cleveland Browns, creating one of the most intriguing revenge storylines of the weekend.
The matchup brings Mayfield face-to-face with the franchise that replaced him by acquiring Deshaun Watson from Houston in 2022.
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Mayfield still owns an impressive Browns record
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) drops back to throw in the first quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.
Mayfield spent only four seasons in Cleveland, but he left behind a significant mark on the franchise. He remains the Browns’ all-time leader in regular-season quarterback wins since the team’s return to the NFL in 1999, with 30 victories.
The former No. 1 overall pick also delivered something Browns fans had been waiting decades to see. In 2020, Mayfield helped Cleveland reach the playoffs and win its first postseason game since 1994, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round.
His tenure ultimately ended after the Browns pursued Watson. Cleveland traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in 2022, bringing an abrupt conclusion to a relationship that once appeared to have the quarterback positioned as the franchise’s long-term answer.
Mayfield has since rebuilt his career in Tampa Bay. He has become the Buccaneers’ established starter and signed a three-year, $165 million extension earlier this year.
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This revenge game has been circled for months
Apr 26, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; NFL commissioner commissioner Roger Goodell walks off stage as Baker Mayfield is selected as the number one overall pick to the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Mayfield has acknowledged that this matchup carries some extra meaning. During an offseason podcast appearance with former teammates Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette, he said he had Tampa Bay’s first home game against Cleveland circled on his calendar.
Now that the game has arrived, however, Mayfield has attempted to downplay the revenge angle. He told reporters that the focus is on preparation, ball security, and executing the little things rather than dwelling on what happened in Cleveland.
That does not make the storyline any less compelling.
Mayfield gets to face the Browns in Tampa, with Watson on the other sideline. After everything that happened between the quarterback and his former organization, Sunday’s game provides another chapter in a complicated NFL relationship.
And with Mayfield having already established himself as the winningest Browns quarterback since 1999, there is plenty of history attached to this matchup.