ATLANTA — New Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski met with the Atlanta media for the first time since Falcons president of football Matt Ryan hired him.
Stefanski shared his vision for the team and said he isn’t focused on the past. But he did address a question swirling around a tweet one of his former players.
Stefanski coached 13 different quarterbacks during his time in Cleveland. The list includes Baker Mayfield, who is currently the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mayfield tweeted last week that he never received a phone call or text from Stefanski after he was traded from Cleveland. The tweet was in response to a reporter’s story about Stefanski’s quarterback woes.
Mayfield ended his viral tweet saying he can’t wait to see his former coach twice a year when the Falcons and Bucs meet.
Stefanski was asked about Mayfield’s comments at his news conference on Tuesday.
“You know Baker is somebody that I have a ton of respect for as a player and a person. I love rivalries in sports and obviously Buccaneers, Falcons have a great rivalry. It’s something that I’m excited about,” the coach said. “But I would not get into the specifics of those type of things other than to say I have a ton respect for Baker as a play or as a person that’s a great team with a great player.”
Atlanta faced Tampa Bay in last year’s season opener. The Falcons’ 2026 schedule won’t be released until May. So it’s too early to tell if the NFL will schedule another season opener between the two.
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