CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield underwent surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder Wednesday morning in Los Angeles.
“The surgery went great, was a complete success,” Mayfield said in a 70-second video posted to his social media accounts. “Had a great medical team that took care of me. I checked that box off to get this fixed and now it’s on the way to the road to recovery.”
Mayfield is expected to require 4-6 months of rehab and is expected to be able to resume light throwing in April and participate in the offseason program on a limited basis the team said.
“This is one of those steps to get back to my true self,” Mayfield said. “This past year hasn’t been very easy. A lot of stuff has gone down and it wasn’t easy on myself or my family so I appreciate everybody that’s reached out that wished me well and good luck on the surgery, all the prayers and it definitely did not go unnoticed so thank you.
“Now it’s on the road to recovery. It’s not going to be an easy one but it’s going to be one that I’m going to remember and it’s going to be a special one, so I’ll keep you guys updated.”
The injury limited Mayfield this past season raising questions about his long-term future with the team as he enters the final year of his rookie deal that will pay him $18.858 million in 2022.
“We fully expect Baker to be our starter and to bounce back,” Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry said earlier this month following the season.
“We’re looking forward to Baker getting healthy in the offseason and then putting in good work through the spring and with his coaches for having the type of season we know he can have.”
Mayfield, who led the league in completion percentage through two games by completing 40 of his first 49 throws, suffered the initial injury September 19 during the second quarter of a 31-21 win over the Texans while trying to tackle Justin Reid after the safety had just intercepted him.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns is hit by strong safety Justin Reid of the Houston Texans after Reid intercepted Mayfield during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. Mayfield suffered a torn left labrum on the play.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Mayfield was fit for a harness to help stabilize and limit the mobility of the shoulder. He wore it for the remainder of the season.
“He kept fighting,” Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb said earlier this month after the Browns finished a disappointing 8-9 and out of the playoffs. “He had every reason to quit. He could’ve rested a week, he could’ve had surgery in Week 2 and not play much this year but he stuck it out for us and he fought for us every day.”
Mayfield continued to play with the injury and had early success with the Browns winning their next two games – 26-6 over the Bears at home and 14-7 at Minnesota for a 3-1 start.
The season began to fall apart for Mayfield and the Browns following a 47-42 loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles that saw him complete a season-high 71.9% of his passes for 305 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The following week on October 17, Mayfield suffered a dislocation of the same left shoulder and broken humerus bone in the third quarter of a 37-14 blowout loss to the Cardinals when edge rusher J.J. Watt strip-sacked Mayfield causing the quarterback to land awkwardly. The injury forced him to miss a 17-14 win over the Broncos four days later.
Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns fumbles the ball after a tackle from J.J. Watt of the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 17, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. Mayfield suffered a dislocated left shoulder and fractured humerus bone on the play.Jason Miller/Getty Images
Through the first six games of the season Mayfield was completing 67% of his passes for 1,474 yards with 6 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and he had been sacked 18 times. The Browns were 3-3 while averaging 26 points per game.
Mayfield returned October 31, a 15-10 loss to the Steelers that saw him throw for 225 yards, but the offense sputtered all afternoon prompting Odell Beckham Jr. to orchestrate his release from the team.
Mayfield responded the following week at Cincinnati with a 41-16 demolition of the eventual division champions. He completed 66.7% of his passes for 225 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a season-best rating of 132.6.
The Browns split the next four games and were 7-6 before a positive COVID test forced Mayfield to miss a 16-14 loss to the Raiders, which was rescheduled because of an outbreak within the team.
On Christmas Day, Mayfield cleared the mandatory wait time under league protocols and was flown to Green Bay in the morning where he went on to throw four interceptions 24-22 loss to the Packers later that day.
Over his final eight starts, Mayfield completed 55.9% of his passes for 1,536 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was sacked 25 times and fumbled twice while the Browns went 3-5 over the stretch and averaged 17.6 points per game raising question about why the Browns continued to play Mayfield while injured.
“He battled through this injury, like a lot of the guys do,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier this month. “I do not say that to minimize how he did that. He pushed through it.
“I know he wants to perform better. I have seen him perform better. He played winning football for us. I fully expect him to bounce back next year.”
Following a 26-14 drubbing in Pittsburgh that saw Mayfield sacked nine times, Mayfield sat out the season finale January 9, a 21-16 win over the Bengals that saw Cincinnati rest most of their starters in advance of the playoffs.
Berry expressed confidence that Mayfield will meet expectations next season.
“We’ve been with Baker for a long period of time,” Berry said. “We know his work ethic. We know his drive. We’ve seen him as a talented passer in this league and we’re looking forward to him getting healthy and continuing to make improvements and we expect him to bounce back next year.”
With the surgery complete, Mayfield can now focus on preparing for his fifth NFL season.
“This is not the end of my story,” Mayfield said. “It’s going to be one of those little things that I’ll look back and remember that’s one of those challenges and adversity that I’m going to try and take advantage of, and it’ll make me a better person.”
