Browns-Baker Mayfield Split Gets Even Uglier After Latest Reveal

The split between the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield this offseason was messy. The surprise decision to trade for Deshaun Watson sealed Mayfield's fate, but there were also earlier reports that Cleveland doubted the latter's maturity to be a franchise quarterback.

This divorce just keeps getting uglier as Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski added further fuel to the breakup fire.

Stefanski "declined to say" if he said goodbye to Mayfield following the QB's trade to the Carolina Panthers when asked by reporters on Monday. Given how this isn't information that would need to be concealed if it did happen, it seems clear the coach did not give any parting words to his former signal-caller.

It's a bit surprising to see Stefanski's coldness after the two helped break Cleveland's 18-year playoff drought in his very first season at the helm. Things quickly spiraled from there, though, as the Browns slipped to 8-9 in 2021. Mayfield's injury and on-field issues were a huge factor in that drop-off.

With Sunday still nearly a week away, there'll be plenty more discussion of Mayfield's exit prior to these teams meeting in Week 1. Both sides will be motivated to show the other what they're missing out on.

FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds peg the Panthers as 2.5-point favorites over the Browns in the season-opener.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.