CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Baker Mayfield will not play the season finale at home Sunday against the Bengals.
“We’re going to hold him out,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday afternoon. “He’s going to get surgery scheduled really as soon as possible so he can get back healthy as soon as possible.”
Stefanski made the announcement just over 13 hours after Mayfield said he would consult with his family and agents as to whether he would play following a 26-14 loss to the Steelers.
Mayfield took a beating Monday night at Heinz Field that saw him take nine sacks, have five passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, receivers drop over a half dozen passes and him complete a season-low 42% of his throws.
After completing his first throw for 20 yards to Jarvis Landry, Mayfield then threw 10 straight incompletions against the Steelers. He started the night 4-15 with an interception before rebounding a bit in the second half.
Stefanski maintains the organization did right by playing Mayfield despite the plainly obvious limitations week in and week out.
“Throughout this whole thing we have tried to make the right decision based on all the information available to us – constant dialogue with our medical staff, with Baker, all of those type of things,” Stefanski said. “Throughout, I have really felt comfortable based on all of that information that he was able to play and those type of things.
“Obviously, frustrated for him, but just felt like that was the right thing to do for right now.”
Mayfield suffered a torn left labrum during the second quarter of a 31-21 win over the Texans in Week 2 while trying to make a tackle following an interception. He exacerbated the injury when he suffered a dislocation and fracture of the humerus in that same left shoulder in a 37-14 loss to the Cardinals on October 17.
He played with a harness, which helped limit the range of motion in his left shoulder, after suffering the initial injury but it affected his ability to throw.
Mayfield struggled to find any rhythm or accuracy in his fourth NFL season and Cleveland’s offense suffered as a result. The Browns failed to score more than 17 points in seven of the 14 games Mayfield started, winning just twice, this season.
Mayfield ends the year having completed 60.5% of his passes and 13 interceptions. He threw for a career-low 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The 43 sacks were the most in four years in Cleveland.
Stefanski declined to reflect on Mayfield’s play this season Tuesday.
“I will wait to talk about reflecting on this season,” Stefanski said. There will be time for that. Ultimately, I am frustrated for Baker, not to be able to finish the season and those type of things, but anything past that, I will wait to discuss.”