Baker Mayfield's future as quarterback of the Cleveland Browns appears to be in doubt. Although the franchise has already exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, a recent report from Cleveland.com details the possibility of Mayfield asking for a trade if he "doesn't get assurances" for changes next season. Mayfield criticized this report on Thursday, calling it "clickbait."
In the simplest terms, Mayfield's 2021 campaign was disappointing. For more than three months, he played with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, and on Wednesday, the Browns placed him on injured reserve and announced that he'll soon have surgery. This offseason, the franchise will need to assess Mayfield's viability, and former Browns receiver Braylon Edwards believes the front office should look to part ways with their signal-caller.
"Mayfield is short, slow, and hasn't looked himself in the mirror. Mayfield is an individual who needs everything to be perfect to have success," Edwards told The Zach Gelb Show on Friday night. "There's nothing wrong with that when you understand that's what you are... He's not a guy who's going to win you games. Baker is going to win you games when everything is right. So, I think they need to move on...
"I saw the same quarterback but with better play when Case Keenum came in and spelled Baker about seven weeks ago. Saw the same thing, and for much cheaper. If I'm them, I'd move on from him. And if I'm Baker and his agent, I'd look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself who you are, which is tough to do... He loses them a lot of games, that's not what good-to-great quarterbacks do. They don't lose their teams a lot of games. He does."
Mayfield, who was drafted first overall by Cleveland in 2018, was roughed up in the team's road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday. He was sacked a whopping nine times, and also became the first quarterback since 2019 to throw 10 straight incompletions. In 14 games this season, Mayfield threw for 3,010 yards with 17 touchdowns and 13 picks, and his career-low 35.3 QBR ranks 26th in the league.
Cleveland (7-9), which will miss the AFC playoffs and possibly finish dead last in its division, plays host to the rival Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 18 matchup on Sunday. According to Spotrac, Mayfield will be owed $18.8 million in 2022, and his current market value is listed at $159.8 million, which would make him the 10th-highest paid quarterback.
The entire football conversation between Edwards and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.