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What's next for the Falcons with Stefanski? (0:50)
Marc Raimondi examines what Kevin Stefanski brings to the Falcons and what the move signals for the organization. (0:50)
Marc RaimondiJan 20, 2026, 08:04 PM ET
- Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield took a swipe at new Atlanta Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski in a social media post Tuesday night.
Stefanski was Mayfield's coach with the Cleveland Browns from 2018 to 2021. Mayfield wrote that he was "Still waiting on a text/call" from Stefanski after the Browns "shipped" him off "like a piece of garbage."
"Can't wait to see you twice a year, Coach," Mayfield added.
Failed is quite the reach pal. Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can't wait to see you twice a year, Coach. https://t.co/jUUsYkvlOC
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) January 20, 2026Mayfield's post was in response to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter's post that said Mayfield had "failed" in Cleveland.
"Failed is quite the reach pal," Mayfield wrote.
Mayfield helped lead the Browns to the playoffs in 2020, but, like Stefanski, had an up-and-down stint in Cleveland. The Browns traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson during the 2022 offseason and signed him to a contract extension, prompting Mayfield to request a trade.
The Browns sent Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round pick. Things didn't work out for Mayfield there, either, and he requested his release and ended up with the Los Angeles Rams for a five-game period in late 2022. Mayfield was signed by the Bucs in 2023 and has largely found success in Tampa, leading the team to two NFC South titles. The Bucs missed this postseason with an 8-9 record.
On Saturday, the division rival Falcons announced they had hired Stefanski as their new coach. Stefanski, a two-time former AP Coach of the Year, was fired by the Browns earlier this month after an 8-26 record in his final two seasons. The Falcons had fired coach Raheem Morris after the season, opening up the job.
