CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Baker Mayfield is letting the t-shirts do the talking.
Following the fiasco last week over what he may or may not have said to an NFL Network analyst following a preseason game in Buffalo, the Panthers’ quarterback is saying all the right things and giving his former team no bulletin board material – at least verbally.
Mayfield however has promoted a pair of t-shirts on his social media accounts for fans to buy and wear Sunday against the Browns, but he denied being the one behind them.
“Oh, man, I wish I could say I came up with the T-shirts,” Mayfield told reporters in Charlotte Wednesday afternoon. “Got a good team behind me and they put a few little hidden messages of like just my history, subliminal stuff in there. They do a good job and I just think people back home and people that have been following me for a long time like it. It’s just a fun thing to do.”
“I didn't have any say in it,” Mayfield said of the design. “You know, I don't get paid to make t-shirts. I get paid to play football and have fun with my buddies. So that's what I'm doing.”
Mayfield will face his former team at home Sunday where he will look to extend Cleveland’s Week 1 misery.
The Browns haven’t won an opener in 17 years. They haven’t won an opener on the road in over three decades.
“Like I mentioned last week I think it’s a great storyline, obviously there’s history involved,” Mayfield said. “Leading up to this week there’s other games in the NFL that guys are playing their former teams. It’s the excitement leading up to Week 1 that I think is building that anticipation up.
“For me it’s the familiarity, any time you’re playing guys you know it makes it more interesting, more fun. You get to smack talk with your buddies that you’ve been with for a little bit, and you know how to poke and prod and get the best out of ‘em. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
The 2018 overall pick was asked if this is a “revenge game” for him.
“No. I’m grateful for the time I had in Cleveland,” Mayfield said. “I started my career there. The fans there, a football town. Like I’ve mentioned multiple times it ended abruptly and unexpectedly. But we’re here now. Everything happens for a reason and I’m rolling with the punches and I’m happy to be a Panther.”
Mayfield is the ultimate chip on his shoulder player, and this isn’t the first time he has a chance to settle a score on a football field.
“Fortunately, this isn’t my first rodeo,” Mayfield said. “Going back to Texas Tech when I was at Oklahoma, I was able to kind of relate that to my situation now. Got to play it one play at a time. That’s all that matters and put our team in the best possible position to win. That’s my job.”
The Browns traded Mayfield to the Panthers in July, four months after acquiring Deshaun Watson, who is serving an 11-game suspension related to accusations of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions by over two dozen women, from the Texans for six draft picks and Cleveland is paying over $10 million of his salary for the 2022 season.
“I'm not going to get into specifics as to why they moved on, just because I don't have those answers,” Mayfield said when asked if injuries in 2021 hurt his performance and ultimately led the Browns to move on.
The familiarity between Mayfield and the Browns could be a factor Sunday, but it has been downplayed by everyone, including Mayfield.
“It doesn't give me an edge, nor does it give them an edge,” Mayfield said. “It just gives us both familiarity about my tendencies, how I line up and likewise, I know how those guys like to line up, how they like to disguise certain things. I don't think one side has the edge over the other.”
Whatever animosity Mayfield harbors against the Browns, it doesn’t seem to be with his former teammates.
Mayfield’s presser ended with this gem when he was asked about his hopes for pregame greetings with any of his former teammates.
“You know, a big hug from Nicholas Chubb would be a really, really good gift,” Mayfield said. “You know just to hear him say a word would also be nice. You know, the mime that is.”
Chubb might not talk, but you can bet Mayfield and the Browns will do plenty of it for four quarters Sunday afternoon in Charlotte.