What do you do when your former coach lands in your division? If you’re Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, you fire off a social media shot, then walk it back with a burger joke.

In January, Mayfield’s now-viral post sent shockwaves through NFL circles. As one person criticized how Kevin Stefanski couldn’t succeed with Baker Mayfield or Deshaun Watson, Mayfield took a jab at Stefanski, along with his unhappy tenure with the Cleveland Browns.

“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote on X. “Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”

It was an unmistakable dig at the new Atlanta Falcons head coach. Stefanski was the one who oversaw Mayfield’s exit from Cleveland in favor of Deshaun Watson. With those memories still fresh in his mind, Mayfield’s post was sharp and personal. By February, though, Mayfield had cooled the temperature.

“There’s stuff there, but it’s not like its beef,” Mayfield explained in the Super Bowl radio row interview when asked if there was any bad blood between him and his old coach. “We’ve worked together, anytime you know somebody, you want to beat them whether it’s a good or bad relationship.”

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During the interview, Mayfield was sitting with a burger and fries in front of him. When asked if he’d ever share one with Stefanski, Mayfield didn’t flat-out deny it but did not welcome the idea either.

“Maybe we will have one after the game in Atlanta,” Mayfield said. “I don’t know. I have two opportunities to see next year if we are going to share a burger.”

For both of them, it’s a complicated history. In 2020, Mayfield and Stefanski took Cleveland to its first playoff berth in nearly 20 years and its first postseason win since 1994. But injuries derailed 2021, the Browns went 8-9, and Mayfield was traded away, bouncing through the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams before finding a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stefanski, now rebuilding with the Falcons, kept it classy when asked about Baker Mayfield’s January comments.

“I love rivalries in sports and obviously Buccaneers-Falcons have a great rivalry,” Stefanski had said. “It’s something that I’m excited about, but I would not get into the specifics of those type of things other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player, as a person. That’s a great team with a great player.”

Both men appear content to let their football do the talking. And there’s plenty to play for beyond personal history as well. The Falcons directly cost the Buccaneers the NFC South title in 2025, when their Week 18 win over the New Orleans Saints handed the Panthers the division via tiebreaker. Mayfield is just 2-4 against Atlanta in his time with Tampa Bay. When he says, “any divisional game will be a revenge game,” it’s hard not to believe him.

But even without this rivalry heating up their 2026 meetings, Mayfield has a lot to play for this year himself.

The stakes for Baker Mayfield’s 2026 campaign

Beef aside, Mayfield heads into 2026 carrying weight that no social media feud can match. After all, it’s his contract year, and Mayfield needs to do a lot more than just dominate his old team.

Mayfield’s current deal with the Bucs pays him just over $33 million annually. With this payday, Mayfield ranks 19th among quarterbacks in the league. And as far as Tampa Bay is concerned, it has been a bargain they couldn’t have dreamt of.

In 2024, Mayfield posted a 71.4% completion, 41 touchdowns, and 4,500 yards. It was arguably the finest QB season in Buccaneers history. Even a down 2025, plagued by injuries to himself, his offensive line, and star receiver Mike Evans, still yielded four fourth-quarter comebacks. With that, Mayfield’s next paycheck promises to be heavier than ever before.

Analysts predict a new extension deal for Baker Mayfield could easily top $60 million a year. But he’ll have to earn it. Nothing short of an explosive 2026 season will get him there, and three benchmarks matter the most for this challenge. The first task is to protect the football (Tampa Bay went 7-1 when Mayfield was interception-free last season and 1-8 when he wasn’t). 

Secondly, Mayfield has to make sure he remains healthy along with the rest of his roster. Finally, he has to take the Bucs deep into playoff football. The Bucs are 1-2 in the postseason with Mayfield; divisional titles are fine, but championships will help build the legacies. Mayfield, for one, understands the challenges ahead and the importance of having a good team behind you.

“Playing quarterback is difficult but it’s all about the right fit,” Mayfield said on the Super Bowl radio row interview. “The people you are surrounded with, the staff, the organization then obviously giving you all the resources you need to have to have success. It’s such a hard position to play, the organizations that do take care of a lot of the other stuff like the day-to-day things for you to make your life easier, you got to be in the right situation.”

His Cleveland stint may have left Baker Mayfield with some bitter memories he still can’t shake off. But Tampa Bay fits like a glove for the 30-year-old quarterback. In 2026, the biggest challenge for him would be to prove that the fit is permanent.