Berea, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Baker Mayfield understands the Cleveland Browns’ plans to develop him to be their franchise quarterback.
Just don’t expect him to simply accept holding a clipboard easily.
“I would never get my mind right to be a backup,” Mayfield said Thursday, a few hours before the team took the field for their first practice of camp. “That’s the second that I would be complacent. That’s the second that I would stop working.
“You always got to keep working like you’re going to work to be the best and that’s the same thing Tyrod has done is whole life. It doesn’t matter the position you’re in. If you’re not going to work hard then you’re not doing it right.”
Wednesday head coach Hue Jackson said that Mayfield shouldn’t expect to see many reps with the first-team offense during camp as Tyrod Taylor prepares for the season, and what few reps Mayfield might get, Jackson also cautioned everyone not to read anything into them.
So, does that bother the No. 1 pick and winner of the 2017 Heisman Trophy as college football's best player?
“Absolutely not,” Mayfield said. “They’re doing everything they think is right and I believe in that and I believe in them, so when it comes down to the stuff that they’re saying, that’s not going to change my work ethic and if it does, then something’s wrong.”
Mayfield, who was a 2-time college walk-on at Texas Tech and Oklahoma, signed his rookie deal Tuesday night, just in time to report for camp.
“I’m a team-first guy,” Mayfield said. “I won’t go into details about the contract or anything like that, but I wanted to be here, I’ll say that. First and foremost, that was the main priority for me.”
While Mayfield will likely enter the season as the No. 2 QB, that won't change his approach day-to-day.
"Why they drafted me was to help turn it around, so if I’m not fighting like crazy to be the best version of myself and to help this team, I’m not doing my job," Mayfield said. "I’m just going to keep getting better every day. You know, everything happens for a reason. I’ve just got to be ready for my opportunity."
