Kevin Stefanski’s Shedeur Sanders mismanagement proves he’s wrong coach to fix Falcons’ messy QB room

Kevin Stefanski’s best year as an NFL head coach was his first year.

Five seasons later, he’s been hired to figure out what to do with Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, while getting blasted by Baker Mayfield on social media.

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Browns got it wrong with Mayfield

“Still waiting on a text/call from (Stefanski) after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage,” Mayfield tweeted. 

“Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”

It was a brutal response from Mayfield, who reached full simmer after a one-sided tweet from a Falcons beat writer. 

“Falcons’ Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland — Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson failed, which started a chain reaction to 11 other starters,” posted D. Orlando Ledbetter.

“QB Shedeur Sanders closed out last season with seven starts.”

Mayfield didn’t fail – he was the best QB in recent Browns history and won a road playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is the equivalent of reaching the Super Bowl in Cleveland. 

It also wasn’t Mayfield who agreed to the worst trade in NFL history, which set the Browns back years when they made the organizational decision to give Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

The reality is that Stefanski badly managed the Browns’ QB problems multiple times and the new Falcons coach was at his worst with Cleveland in 2025.

If anyone failed in Cleveland, it was Stefanski

Going back to Joe Flacco was a bad idea.

Promoting Dillon Gabriel early – after ignoring Shedeur Sanders week after week – was an even worse form of organizational leadership.

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The Browns finished 5-12 last year and went a combined 8-26 during Stefanski’s last two seasons, while the team’s offense plummeted to 31st in the league in average scoring and 30th in offensive yards.

Factor in that Stefanski is a former offensive coordinator who was supposed to be an offensive specialist running the Browns, and Atlanta’s decision to reward him with a new head coaching job looks like the NFL definition of ‘failing upwards.’

Stefanski deserved to be fired by Cleveland.

The Falcons somehow saw instant promise in all of the Browns’ discarded QBs and weekly losing, and turned their QB problem over to a fired coach who signed off on replacing Mayfield with Jacoby Brissett, Watson, Flacco, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jameis Winston, Gabriel and Sanders.

Fans were quick to correct ‘failure’ problem

“Under Stefanski (2020-2025), the Browns had 13 starting QBs,” was officially posted below the tweet that angered Mayfield. 

“Baker Mayfield, however, led them to an 11-5 record in 2020, their first playoff berth since 2002 and win since 1994. He played through a significant shoulder injury in 2021.”

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The fan responses were pro-Mayfield and anti-Stefanski, and there was little middle ground.

“Worst QB Coach in NFL history?” one fan tweeted. 

“He failed Mayfield. But whatever revision works,” a second fan posted. 

“Baker Mayfield failed??” a third fan responded. “He led the Browns to their only playoff win in almost 40 years. Baker got hurt.

“The Browns won almost as many games in the four years Mayfield was their starter as they did in the 10 years prior to his arrival.”

Penix was a reach with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

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Mayfield has Pro Bowls to back his words

Injury issues in college have followed the former Washington star in the NFL and the 25-year-old QB will likely face a training camp battle in 2026.

Cousins, 37, is by far the highest paid QB (four years, $180m) on the Falcons’ roster but he’s spent the last two seasons watching his pro experience devalued by Atlanta.

New Falcons president of football Matt Ryan lacks a first-round pick in 2026 and has two QBs competing for one spot.

“We’re thrilled to land a lead-by-example leader in Kevin Stefanski who brings a clear vision for his staff, our team and a closely aligned focus on building this team on fundamentals, toughness and active collaboration with every area of the football operation,” Ryan said in a statement. 

“Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone and a player-driven culture.”

The Browns spent the last two years as one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NFL, while Stefanski never lived up to the promise of his first year with Mayfield — who has made two Pro Bowls leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield said. 

If Stefanski fails with Atlanta’s QBs like he did with Cleveland’s, he won’t have the luxury of failing upward again. 

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