Baker Mayfield revenge game is here: What that means for Browns, Deshaun Watson

Baker Mayfield walked into his Wednesday press conference wearing a maize Michigan tank-top and listening to Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles shout, "Let's go Blue!" 

"It's been a rough couple days," Mayfield said behind the mic. "Damn, Todd." 

Mayfield lost a bet with Bowles, whose son Troy is a linebacker at Michigan, after the Wolverines beat Oklahoma 17-10 last weekend. At this point, you wonder whether Cleveland Browns would be able to stomach this scene even without the Michigan jersey. 

Tough break for Baker Mayfield and the Sooners 😭 pic.twitter.com/0rfonjU8HA

Mayfield, of course, was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent four years with the Browns, including a 2019 season where Cleveland coach Todd Monken was the offensive coordinator.

Mayfield will face the Browns for the second time in his career. It also will highlight the Browns' week-to-week situation at quarterback with Deshaun Watson. It's a much-different scene in Cleveland now than the one Mayfield left in 2021 – and one has to wonder how much different it would be had Mayfield stayed with the Browns.

Mayfield addressed the Cleveland question twice in the aftermath of a 33-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 – a game in which the quarterback lost three fumbles.

"Obviously we didn't come out on the right side of it, so we'll make the corrections we need to and move forward," Mayfield said. "Cleveland happens to be the next opponent and our home opener, so yeah. Got a bad taste in our mouth and looking forward to getting it out."

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Baker Mayfield's history with Cleveland 

Mayfield was asked about Cleveland a second time during his press conference Wednesday – and was asked about his comments this summer on the "4th and South" podcast with Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette about having the game with the Browns circled on his calendar.

"With any experience there's ups and downs, good and bad, ultimately you remember the good more so than the bad," Mayfield said. "First time, having a playoff win (for the first time) since ‘94 there and going on the road and doing it in Pittsburgh. So, it's a lot of good memories there. A lot of teammates who are friends for life, but like I said earlier, it's a very different building now." 

Mayfield is referencing the good times during his time in Cleveland. He became a fan favorite when he said "When I woke up this morning, I was feeling pretty dangerous" after a 28-16 victory against the Falcons on Nov. 13, 2018. 

He led the Browns to an 11-5 record and a 48-37 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round after the 2020 season. 

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images

Yet that success unraveled the following season. Mayfield dealt with injuries in 2021 when the Browns went 8-9 season and the relationship soured. Mayfield played for four head coaches and four offensive coordinators in four years with the Browns. 

"Any time there's history between a franchise, coaching staff, anybody, you want to come out on the winning side of that, no matter what," Mayfield said. "It's very different there — staff wise and everybody." 

Mayfield had a chance for revenge against the Browns in the 2022 season opener with the Carolina Panthers. He had 235 yards, a TD and an interception in a 26-24 loss on Sept. 11, 2022. 

Browns stuck in QB purgatory with Deshaun Watson 

The tone of Deshaun Watson's press conference in Cleveland on Wednesday was much more defensive in more ways than one. Watson was asked about Mayfield ahead of the Week 2 matchup with the Browns. 

"Honestly I think that's a defensive player question," Watson said. "My main focus is trying to figure out what their defense is doing so we can find ways to be successful and get points. So, as far as that, I respect Bake – Baker – and everything he did ever since college. We've been playing against each other since college."

Watson is in the final year of a five-year, $250 million contract that has been widely criticized during his time in Cleveland. He had 205 passing yards, one TD and one interception in a loss to Jacksonville in Week 1 – and his status as the starter appears to be a week-to-week endeavor with Shedeur Sanders waiting in the wings. Cleveland has its home opener in Week 3 against Carolina – and Watson was asked about whether he needs to play well to build up goodwill for a home start.

"All that is for the media," Watson said. "I think the media has this expectation that I'm supposed to throw 400 yards and five touchdowns every week. So, until that happens, I guess it's going to be the same situation."

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Will Baker Mayfield add to Browns QB misery? 

The Cleveland quarterback situation has been a popular topic on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. Some callers have said they are rooting for Mayfield on Sunday. The Buccaneers are 8.5-point favorites. 

"I think Baker's going to jam it down our throat as much as he possibly can as often as he possibly can and I don't think they're going to take their foot off the gas," 92.3 The Fan host Ken Carman said. "I don't think he's going to let them take the foot off the gas." 

Could this be a game that leads to a way for Browns coach Todd Monken to make a quarterback switch to Sanders before the opener? That's yet another subplot. 

But Mayfield will serve as a reminder of what could have been at the quarterback position had that relationship been maintained with Cleveland. Mayfield averaged 4,079 yards, 31.6 TDs and 12.3 interceptions the last three seasons. The Browns' leading passers each of the last three seasons – Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston and Sanders – averaged 1,712 yards, 11 TDs and 10 interceptions. 

Monken was asked about Mayfield, too, on Monday.

"Well, first off, he's a great football player and highly competitive, and it's irrespective of playing the Browns," Monken said Monday on his video conference. "He's very prideful, he wants to play good football, and he's a great football player. He can only speak to having (Cleveland) circled."