Mayfield denies vowing to 'f--- up' Browns

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Baker Mayfield went to his denial play call.

Carolina's starting quarterback said Wednesday that he never said anything malicious about the Cleveland Browns, who traded him to the Panthers this summer.

“First, I didn’t say that,” Mayfield said following Wednesday’s practice. “Everybody is going to write what they want (because) there is history there the last four years.”

NFL Network analytics analyst Cynthia Frelund, who was working as a Buffalo Bills sideline reporter for Friday night’s preseason game against Carolina, said on a podcast that Mayfield had some choice words for his former team following the game.

Frelund said Mayfield said “I’m going to (expletive) them up, ” when talking about Panthers' Sept. 11 season opener against the Browns while a guest on the “Around the NFL” podcast with Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler and Gregg Rosenthal.

“I walked up to him and said, ‘I’m so excited to see you, like, go kick some butt,’ I didn’t say that word,” Frelund said with a laugh in the podcast. “... Go kick some butt, especially Week 1, I like cannot wait. And he uses some expletives and I was like, ‘I just hope you’re like ready.’ He was like, ’I’m gonna bleep them up.”

Mayfield said he was shocked to hear about the report on Tuesday.

“If I wasn’t wanting to win then there would be a really big issue of me being the quarterback here,” Mayfield said. “I want to win at everything I do and that will never change. That is not how I phrased it, that is not even what I said, so we will leave it at that.”

Mayfield said he did have a conversation after the game with Frelund, but said “All I did was agree — I hope we win. It's pretty plain and simple. ... I don't think it should be harped on.”

Mayfield said it