Baker Mayfield Issues Stern Warning to Browns Ahead of Week 1 Showdown

It's not often that the "revenge game" narrative gets a chance to shine in Week 1 of the NFL season, but new Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield is embracing the opportunity to unleash on his former team.

Mayfield's Panthers host the Cleveland Browns to kick off the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 11 at 1 p.m. ET, and despite not being a Panther for more than two months, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2018 reportedly issued a proclamation on what fans (and bettors) should expect.

On the Around the NFL podcast, NFL Media analytics expert Cynthia Frelund joined the show and shared a story from when she was on the sidelines for the Panthers game vs. the Buffalo Bills in the final week of the preseason, and discussed her exchange with Mayfield afterwards:

"I walked up to him... kick some butt (I didn't say that word)... especially Week 1... And he used some expletives, and I was like, 'I just hope you're ready.'

"And he said, I'm gonna 'bleep' them up..."

When asked if Mayfield actually said the f*** expletive, Frelund confirmed it.

Vegas Buying into the Baker Mayfield Revenge Game vs. Cleveland Browns

After opening the matchup with the Cleveland Browns as 4-point road favorites, over at WynnBET Sportsbook, the line has moved 5.5-points in the other direction since, and as much as 6.5 points at other sportsbooks.

While Mayfield joining the Panthers certainly played a role in the oddsmakers' decision, there are also plenty of other factors in play. The largest factor involves the finalization of new Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson's suspension for the first 11 games of the year. Watson violated the league's personal conduct policy following sexual misconduct and assault accusations by more than two dozen women.

Mayfield is fourth on the board at WynnBET for NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2022, trailing the likes of only Derrick Henry, Jameis Winston, and Christian McCaffrey. With the Panthers in a must-win year for head coach Matt Rhule to likely keep his job, if Mayfield delivers for a Panthers team projected for only 6.5 wins, he could be a great pick to win it outright.

While odds have yet to be set on Baker Mayfield proposition bets ahead of Week 1, we'll see whether or not Vegas has fully bought in to Mayfield's comments.