A day after Baker Mayfield attacked his former Cleveland Browns coach and new NFC South rival Kevin Stefanski, Thomas weighed in on the boiling meat. He’s Team Stefanski.
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Eight-time All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowl former Browns left tackle Thomas posted this on social media Wednesday:
“I could be wrong,” Thomas wrote. “But I’ve heard that communication is a two-way street and there are no laws prohibiting you (Baker) from texting Stefanski or calling him after you’ve been traded.”
In case you missed it, Thomas’ tweet is in response to one from Mayfield on Tuesday who took a shot at Stefanski from left field.
Why is Baker angry?
Stefanski was recently hired as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons after six seasons as Cleveland’s head coach.
On Tuesday, Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer D. Orlando Ledbetter wrote a story about Stefanski, tweeting that “Stefanski had a dumpster fire as a quarterback in Cleveland” and that Mayfield “failed” as the Browns’ starting quarterback.
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Mayfield was offended by this. And he took the opportunity to bring up old disputes with Stefanksi, whom he will now face twice a season as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
“Failure is a great friend,” Mayfield wrote in response to Ledbetter. “Still waiting for a text or call from you after you sent me away like a piece of trash. I can’t wait to see you twice a year, coach.”
“Friend”, in this case it is Ledbetter. The “coach” is Stefanski. And it’s evident that Mayfield is still furious about his tenure with the Browns.
To be clear, Stefanski didn’t say or do anything to provoke Mayfield. Not recently or publicly, at least. But Ledbetter’s comments opened old wounds for Mayfield, who is dissatisfied with how his time in Cleveland ended in 2022, four seasons after the Browns selected him with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
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And now the stage is set for more bad blood in an NFC South that never lacks flavor.
In essence, this is persistent Browns beef. And Thomas is as Browns as possible.
Thomas played his entire 11-season NFL career with the Browns and retired after the 2017 season. He did not play with Mayfield (drafted in 2018) nor did he play with Stefanski, who coached his first year with the Browns in 2020.
But before Myles Garrett, Thomas was arguably the best player in modern Browns history since the franchise returned to the league in 1999. His voice carries weight in Cleveland.
As for moving forward, this will surely be revisited the first time the Bucs and Falcons play next season, if not sooner.