The NFC South just got a lot more personal. Long before the next season kicks off, Baker Mayfield has ignited a dormant rivalry with a direct hit at his former head coach and the new Atlanta Falcons HC, Kevin Stefanski. Now, the latter has finally responded to the quarterback’s message.

“Baker is someone I have a lot of respect for as a player and as a person,” said Stefanski when asked about Mayfield’s tweet. “I won’t get into the specifics of those types of things.”

The current Bucs quarterback was the first overall pick by Cleveland in the 2018 NFL Draft. In 2020, Stefanski’s first year as their head coach, Mayfield took the team to their first playoffs since 2002. He was also responsible for turning around a zero-win team into a seven-win team in his rookie season. In fact, the two had become a promising duo in Cleveland. But things changed in 2021.

After a disappointing, injury-plagued year, in which Mayfield was sidelined due to a shoulder injury, the Browns felt that it was not worth their headache. Instead, they pursued Deshaun Watson. Ultimately, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers in July. However, after four seasons, Mayfield has clearly not moved on.

The whole saga erupted when a Falcons writer, D. Orlando Ledbetter, wrote a piece on Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland that concluded with the team firing him on January 5 after he only won 41 percent of the games this season. When Ledbetter wrote Stefanski had a “dumpster fire” in the Browns, in terms of the quarterback room, his choices of words didn’t sit well with the Tampa Bay signal caller.

Mayfield wrote to the reporter, “Failed is quite the reach pal. 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.”

Now? He gets to take his revenge twice a year.

Since leaving the Browns, Mayfield encountered Stefanski all but once: in 2022. It was before he found a home in Tampa Bay, and the Browns won the game 26-24 against the Panthers. He has also had a pit stop with the LA Rams. But since then, there hasn’t been a game in which Mayfield encountered his former head coach for true revenge.

But now, Stefanski found a home in Atlanta. This means the Mayfield-led Bucs will be facing Stefanski’s Falcons twice a year. Interestingly, that’s something the head coach relishes.

“I love rivalries,” Stefanski said at his introductory press conference. “Obviously Buccaneers and Falcons have a great rivalry and it’s something I’m excited about.”

What’s even more interesting is that the Bucs front office is doubling down. Before Stefanski could even conduct his first meeting with the coaching staff, they poached a member of his new clan.

Soon, Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will be sporting Buccaneers red as the Tampa Bay front office is reportedly finalizing a deal with him. He’ll be replacing former OC Josh Grizzard.

For now, Stefanski has handled the OC situation by reuniting with his former Offensive Coordinator, Tommy Rees. But he isn’t ready to discuss his plans further.

Kevin Stefanski dodged the looming Kirk Cousins decision

There’s no question regarding the offensive play calling in Atlanta, as the new head coach cleared that he’s “more than comfortable” delegating the responsibility to Rees. He has done so previously in Cleveland. However, the bigger question is the quarterback situation.

The Falcons’ quarterback room has been chaotic for some time now. In 2024, they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the hope of seeing him as the franchise quarterback. But things went south in 2025, and he ended up sustaining a season-ending injury.

Veteran Kirk Cousins covered for him, finishing with 1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. With his four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons entering its final season, his future has become uncertain. But Stefanski refused to discuss it.

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“Obviously, I have a previous relationship with Kirk,” the head coach noted. “But I don’t know if it’s the time yet to talk about all the positions and those types of things. Those types of conversations will come in due time.”

For now, Cousins has agreed to restructure his contract with the Falcons. The change doesn’t touch any of the guaranteed money he’s already been promised, but it shifts when he gets paid and how it hits the team’s budget.

His base salary has been slashed from $35 million down to just $2.1 million, giving the Falcons some much-needed breathing room under the salary cap at the moment. The $32.9 million that was cut from 2026 was moved to his 2027 pay. This means his 2027 pay now totals a massive $67.9 million, set to become fully guaranteed on March 13 this year.

Meanwhile, Stefanski is preparing to meet his new squad while also bracing for what Mayfield will bring for him.