Baker Mayfield isn’t one to shy away from confrontation.
So it comes as no surprise that Mayfield didn’t mince words while looking ahead to the Carolina Panthers’ Week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, who traded for his replacement while he was still on the team earlier in the offseason:
I try to keep this a family site, even if the Bears offense makes me shout expletives that my mind didn’t even know existed. But I think you can use your imagination to figure out what expletive rolled off Mayfield’s tongue. It rhymes with duck, but doesn’t quack. And it starts with a letter of the alphabet that would get you in trouble with mom if you brought it home as a letter grade on your report card.
Anyway … of course Mayfield is already dialing it up ahead of the Browns-Panthers matchup. Mayfield felt disrespected by the Browns for how things went down at the outset of the offseason. While a Deshaun Watson trade was hanging in the balance, he wanted a trade — to which the Browns were like “nah.” And even with a lengthy Deshaun Watson suspension looming, Mayfield shut the door on a return to Cleveland. That ultimately set up a trade to the Panthers, which bring us to a Week 1 grudge match.
I’ll have my full attention on Bears-Niners in Week 1 for obvious reasons. But part of me wants to keep tabs on Mayfield to see if he goes through with clucking up the Browns. Wouldn’t that be a heckuva Week 1 story?