Tampa Bay Buccaneers senior offensive assistant and pass-game specialist Ken Zampese said the quiet part out loud regarding the Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation.
"They had the guy," Zampese told ESPN's Jenna Laine. "They had the guy and they gave him up."
That guy, of course, is Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, whom the Browns will face Sunday.
The Browns drafted Mayfield first overall in 2018. He was the Rookie of the Year runner-up that season with Zampese serving as quarterbacks coach and led Cleveland to an 11-5 record in in 2020. However, he struggled in 2021 while playing through injuries, and the Browns subsequently traded him to the Carolina Panthers.
"The year we were there, we were one of the best offenses in the NFL the second half of that season, 5-3, in a place that was - before that season started - 1-31," Zampese said of Mayfield. "The script got flipped and the city came alive because they finally drafted a quarterback that worked out for them and they mucked it up. They mucked it up."
The Browns replaced Mayfield with Deshaun Watson during the 2022 offseason, which has gone down as one of the worst acquisitions in sports history.
Meanwhile, Mayfield joined the Buccaneers in 2023 and has established himself as their franchise quarterback. He's gone 27-25 with a 97.5 passer rating.
Sunday's matchup marks Mayfield's second time playing against the Browns but the first time he'll do so as a member of the Buccaneers. He lost 26-24 to Cleveland in Week 1 of the 2022 campaign while with the Panthers.
