Baker Mayfield Claims Season Opener Against Browns Is Not A Revenge Game

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Baker Mayfield's time with the Cleveland Browns ended swiftly and ugly after the team traded for Deshaun Watson. So it's easy to imagine Mayfield had the Carolina Panthers' season opener against the Browns circled as a revenge game.

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That's not how Mayfield is looking at it, however. He was asked whether or not he's going into the matchup with the mindset of it being a revenge game against his former employer.

“No, I’m grateful for the time I had in Cleveland,” Mayfield explained. “You know, obviously, like I’ve mentioned multiple times—it ended abruptly and unexpectedly. But we’re here now. Everything happens for a reason and I’m rollin’ with the punches. And like I’ve said, I’m happy to be a Panther.”

While Mayfield may be trying to avoid the revenge game narrative, it's one the media and fans rightfully have run with as soon as the 2022 NFL schedule was announced months ago.

Despite Watson being suspended for the Browns and Mayfield quarterbacking a not-so-great Panthers team, the entire NFL landscape has circled this game to see how Mayfield reacts to playing against his former club.

There is no question that Mayfield would like to have the game of his career against the Browns on Sunday and make the franchise and city of Cleveland wish they never let him go.

Kickoff for Browns-Panthers is set for 1 p.m. eastern on Sunday afternoon.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.