Buccaneers' Zampese says Browns messed up by trading Mayfield - ESPN

TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist Ken Zampese was with quarterback Baker Mayfield just one year in Cleveland, but he saw enough then and now that has him convinced the Browns made a mistake trading him in 2022.

«They had the guy,» Zampese, who was the Browns quarterbacks coach in 2018, told ESPN ahead of the teams' matchup Sunday in Tampa. «They had the guy and they gave him up.»

Mayfield faced the Browns in Week 1 in 2022 with the Carolina Panthers, but Jacoby Brissett was Cleveland's starting quarterback as Deshaun Watson was serving an 11-game suspension. The Panthers lost 26-24. This time, it will be Watson on the other side of the ball.

«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.»

When asked if he thought the Browns shared his sentiment, Zampese said, «Oh, I don't know. It doesn't matter. We got the guy we wanted [in Tampa] and that's what's important.»

Mayfield went 29-30 as a starter with the Browns, leading them to the playoffs in 2020, where they clinched their first postseason victory in 26 years with a 48-37 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns in that performance before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 22-17 in the AFC divisional round.

That was the high point and what Mayfield has chosen to think about from his time in Cleveland.

«With any experience, there's ups and downs, good and bad,» Mayfield said. «Ultimately, you remember the