Bucs Coach Says Browns Blew 1 Franchise QB in Baker Mayfield Swap for Watson
Updated
Updated · NBC Sports · Sep 16
Bucs Coach Says Browns Blew 1 Franchise QB in Baker Mayfield Swap for Watson
3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Sep 16
Summary
Eight years after Baker Mayfield’s Browns debut, Buccaneers assistant Ken Zampese said Cleveland "mucked it up" by giving up the quarterback before Sunday’s matchup.
Zampese, Mayfield’s position coach in 2018, said the Browns "had the guy" after a 5-3 second half that helped revive a franchise coming off a 1-31 stretch.
Cleveland moved on after Mayfield’s injury-hit 2021 season, choosing a franchise-altering trade for Deshaun Watson; Mayfield was later dealt to Carolina.
Mayfield had already led the Browns to the playoffs in his third season, including a wild-card win over Pittsburgh and a near-upset of Kansas City.
Now reunited with Mayfield in Tampa Bay, Zampese said Cleveland’s view no longer matters because "we got the guy we wanted" as the Bucs prepare to face the Browns.