CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield is no fan of former coach Hue Jackson, and he does not mince words about the franchise’s one-time on-field leader, even in a comedy routine.
Appearing on the “Baking with Baker” show with Cooper Manning on the NFL on FOX pregame show ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, Mayfield was asked about his thoughts on Freddie Kitchens being named the new Browns coach.
And while complimenting Kitchens, Mayfield took the opportunity to rip Jackson.
“No, I love Kitchens,” Mayfield said.
Manning retorted, “Yeah, Kitchens are great…better than Jacksons.”
That is when Mayfield slipped in the jab against Jackson.
Mayfield let it be known in the days following the first meeting of the season with the Cincinnati Bengals that he was not happy with Jackson for accepting an offer to remain in the AFC North Division after his dismissal on October 29.
Mayfield shook hands but did not say much to Jackson following the Browns’ first win over the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on November 25, and when criticized for his actions, responded to an ESPN First Take Instagram post by calling Jackson “fake.”
And just in case those words were forgotten, Mayfield served up a reminder after sealing a 26-18 victory over the Bengals with a 66-yard pass to second-year tight end David Njoku with 1:48 to play in the fourth quarter of the December 23rd meeting in Cleveland.
Following the completion, Mayfield appeared to stare down and smile at Jackson while looking toward Cincinnati’s sideline, and then, backpedaled his way down the field before taking three snaps out of the victory formation to exhaust the clock.
In addition to Jackson, Mayfield poked fun at the National Football League for a fine that was levied against him for an obscene gesture made in the Browns’ win over the Bengals on December 23.
While Manning was whipping up a bundt cake, he asked Mayfield to “grab the nuts.”
“The NFL doesn’t really like when I do that,” Mayfield said. “Sorry, I have a history of that.”
After trading barbs over the Rookie of the Year Award, Manning said Mayfield’s first loss in the NFL was an underwear advertisement featuring a tiger, which led to a joke about the Browns’ in-state rivals.
“It’s actually a Bengal, Coop. I own it,” Mayfield said. “Only two times a year, though.”
In leading the Browns to their first regular-season series sweep of the Bengals since 2002, Mayfield completed 27 of his 37 attempts for 284 yards and three touchdowns in the December victory. Mayfield spread the ball around to nine different receivers, rushed for 16 yards and was not sacked in the win.
In his two games against the Bengals this year, Mayfield was 46 of 63 (73 percent) for 542 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Additionally, Mayfield rushed for 12 yards on 10 carries and was not sacked in either outing.
Once Kitchens took over the play-calling duties, the Browns showed improvement in points per game scored. The Browns averaged 23.75 points per game, up by more than 2.5 points per outing.
Under Kitchens’ direction, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Mayfield averaged 281.75 yards and 2.375 touchdowns per game with Kitchens calling the plays.
