Baker Mayfield told SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio on Wednesday that Freddie Kitchens was who he would have hired as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns if given the power.

"I believe in him," Mayfield said. "That's not to say anything about anybody else, but you know what? We had something special and I want to build on it."

The quarterback's comments were his first since the Browns gave Kitchens the job.

"I kind of had that sense the whole time," he said. "Seeing how he was, how he didn't change when he made the jump from running backs coach to offensive coordinator. Then just taking over and the difference that we had while he was calling plays. You know what, he had guys believing in him. When you have guys that believe in you as a head coach and respect you, there's going to be great things that happen."