When the pity stops, the hate starts.

At least that is how Baker Mayfield is perceiving the reaction to the Browns this offseason, with the quarterback having a slew of offensive weapons at his disposal.

The Browns were 0-16 two seasons ago and drafted Mayfield with the No. 1 pick. He took over as the starter when Tyrod Taylor got hurt in Week 3 against the Jets and Cleveland finished the season 7-8-1.

“I’d say the chatter doesn’t matter,” Mayfield told Complex.com. “The expectations for us within the locker room last year were higher than what we accomplished. Outside the locker room, people threw us in the trash before the season. They didn’t expect much out of us just because, the year before that, [the] Browns were 0-16.

“So, you know, you can only go up from there. And I think now we need to have the same mentality. It stays within that locker room. You’ve got to believe in it and take it one week at a time. Because I wouldn’t say that everybody wants to beat us.”

The Browns’ expectations were always going to be raised with Mayfield’s rookie breakout and the team’s overall improvement. Then they traded for Odell Beckham, giving them a star receiver to pair with Jarvis Landry. They would later sign former Chiefs star Kareem Hunt, who is suspended the first eight games of the season after a video surfaced of him attacking a woman in a hotel.

“I think in the media and everything that comes with the hype around our team right now, people want to see us lose, just because the hype is so real,” Mayfield told the magazine. “But we’ve got to go out there and take it one week at a time. We’re trying to win every week.”

The Browns are relevant again, and Mayfield is not afraid to talk about it. Interesting times in Cleveland are ahead.