Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns. (Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports)
The Cleveland Browns failed Baker Mayfield far more than the quarterback let them down. He deserves to keep taking their money in Carolina.
The Browns are going to pay Baker Mayfield more money to not be their quarterback in 2022 than Jadeveon Clowney, Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb will get to play for Cleveland this year.
According to reports, they’re covering $10.5 million of the quarterback’s salary in addition to paying Deshaun Watson $45 million whether he plays for the team or not.
Don’t cry for the Browns on this one. You reap what you sow.
The Browns failed Baker Mayfield, not the other way around
If Mayfield did anything wrong here, it was in not being an all-world superstar capable of overcoming decades of mismanagement by the franchise.
He was the Pro Football Writer’s Association Rookie of the Year in 2018. He handled coaching turnover from Hue Jackson to Freddie Kitchens to Kevin Stefanski. He led the team to an 11-5 record in 2020 and won the first playoff game for the franchise since 1994. He played through a shoulder injury in 2021. He was willing to prove himself in 2022 to earn a new long-term deal.
It was the Browns who exercised the fifth-year option for Mayfield last year. It was the team that turned around and traded for Deshaun Watson, offering him a ridiculous fully-guaranteed $230 million contract even though he’s facing allegations of sexual misconduct by nearly two-dozen women.
Mayfield was perfectly justified to feel betrayed. He was perfectly justified to demand a trade.
Look at the history of quarterbacks in Cleveland. This wasn’t a Mayfield problem. This is just what the Browns do.