When reports came out on Wednesday that Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski had differences that they needed to resolve, the bombshell came as a huge surprise to Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. As the man who spends the most time with both Mayfield and Stefanski, Van Pelt probably has pretty good authority on the subject and said he has seen no issues whatsoever between the former first-round pick and the second-year coach, telling the media this on Thursday:
“No, absolutely not,” Van Pelt said when asked if he’d seen any tension between the two. “I have seen zero of that. Kevin is in our meetings every day. He comes in, and we talk through everything that was installed every day. I know the line of communication is wide open between those two guys. I know they have met weekly on Tuesdays to make sure everything was good. I do not feel that at all. I do not. Kevin has always been open and very communicative with all of the players and coaches, as well.” -Alex Van Pelt
Just because Van Pelt has not seen that type of animosity between the two–or won't admit to it–doesn't mean that the Baker-Stefanski duo won't end after the 2021 NFL season. That is still the most likely scenario because Cleveland has a Super Bowl-level team if they can get their quarterback position settled. That issue might not be able to be fixed without letting go of one of Mayfield or Stefanski, and if you are judging them both off of how well they have done their respective jobs, it is an easy decision: Mayfield is gone.