The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are staring down a gauntlet of a schedule in the 2026 season.
There is no shortage of intriguing games, including six games against teams that made the playoffs in 2025 and a handful of other matchups against teams that missed the playoffs last year, but are expected to be contenders this season.
With plenty of marquee matchups to choose from, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has circled one game in particular.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield can’t wait to play the Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield appeared on the 4th And South podcast hosted by Leonard Fournette and Jarvis Landry and was asked if there are any games on the Bucs schedule that he has circled.
Mayfield didn’t hesitate, and his answer won’t surprise anybody.
Baker Mayfield says he’s got the Bucs’ Week 2 home opener against the Browns circled on his calendar.
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) August 12, 2026
He later added:
“This is my home now, and it’s time to show them which home is better.”
(Via: @4thAndSouthPod) pic.twitter.com/vYAazkfUar
“First home game. Week 2. Cleveland,” Mayfield said. “This is home now, and it’s time to show them which home is better.”
Mayfield still holds some hard feelings about how his stint in Cleveland ended. The Browns drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. He spent four seasons there and even led them to an 11-5 season and their first playoff win in 26 years. To make that win even more special, the postseason victory came against the rival Steelers on the road in Pittsburgh.
But Mayfield struggled throughout the 2021 season, largely due to him trying to play through a torn labrum. The Browns pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans to acquire Deshaun Watson and sent Mayfield packing.
He’s since found a home in Tampa Bay, where he’s led the Bucs to a 27-24 regular-season record and one playoff win. He’s third among all quarterbacks in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns since arriving in Tampa Bay in 2023.
In that same span, the Browns have gone 19-32 and haven’t won a playoff game. The Watson experiment has been a massive failure, and they’ve still yet to find a long-term solution at quarterback. It remains unknown who will be under center when the Browns face Mayfield and the Bucs in Week 2.
Mayfield plays his best football with a chip on his shoulder, and he might be the most motivated of his career when the Browns come to town for the home opener. He''ll be looking to shred his former team and remind Cleveland exactly what they gave up on when the Browns come to Raymond James Stadium.
Add us as a preferred source on Google