It’s dirty laundry season in the NFL with gripes galore and nobody feels more wronged than Browns quarterback (though probably not for long) Baker Mayfield. The former Heisman winner recently lost his starting job to Deshaun Watson, who the Browns acquired from Houston in a blockbuster trade last month.
As if being ambushed by the Browns’ front office wasn’t bad enough, Mayfield now has to live with the painful reality of being pushed out by an alleged sexual predator facing 22 active lawsuits. Mayfield’s reward for playing hurt last season, sacrificing his body and future earning potential for a team that hadn’t been to the playoffs in 18 years prior to his arrival, was a public humiliation you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, taking the term “lame duck” to its logical conclusion.
Since requesting a trade, Mayfield has kept a relatively low profile, staying ready for whatever comes next by training with fellow Texas natives Cole Beasley and Danny Amendola. GM Andrew Berry said he regrets not telling Mayfield of the Browns’ plans beforehand, but that admission should come as little consolation to the embattled QB, who seems uninterested in salvaging his broken relationship with the team that drafted him first overall in 2018.
“I feel disrespected, 100 percent, because I was told one thing and they completely did another,” Mayfield vented during his recent appearance on Ya Never Know, a podcast hosted by recording artist Mike, formerly known as Mike Stud. “That’s what I’m in the middle of right now.”
Interest in the soon-to-be 27-year-old (his birthday is Thursday) has been scant with only a few nibbles so far, though trade talks should pick up before the NFL Draft gets underway later this month. “I’ve had four different head coaches in four years. A bunch of different coordinators,” said Mayfield, reflecting on his rollercoaster tenure with Cleveland. “I had great times my rookie year. I didn’t start in the beginning, but I got to have fun the back half of the year. 2019 sucked. 2020 was great, made the playoffs. 2021 was miserable.”
Mayfield may not have been the easiest personality to deal with, but it’s hard to imagine a player of his pedigree entering the 2022 season without a starting job. Perhaps he’d be a fit for the Seahawks, who appear to be entering a rebuilding phase after losing a pair of foundation pieces in veterans Russell Wilson (traded to Denver) and Bobby Wagner (now of the Rams). The Steelers have also expressed interest with reports suggesting they would “pounce” if Mayfield became available in free agency. Of course, that would necessitate the Browns releasing him, a line in the sand Cleveland, at least to this point, has been unwilling to cross.
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