Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was recently placed on injured reserve and will soon have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, took to Twitter on Thursday to criticize a report regarding tension between himself and the team. The story mentioned that if Mayfield "doesn't get assurances" for changes next year, he could ask to be traded.
Although the Browns haven't hinted at the possibility of shopping Mayfield -- they've already exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal -- it may be time for the franchise to reassess his viability. And if he's not considered the long-term solution, Cleveland should pursue Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, according to Cleveland sports radio host Anthony Lima.
"You know what you're getting out of Carr," Lima told The Zach Gelb Show on Thursday. "Is he special? No. But as we've seen with the Raiders this season, he's the grown-up in the room, the guy who's been able to tile that together and keep the team in the playoff hunt, despite all the nonsense that's circled around them over the last year... I'd do whatever it takes to get Carr.
"I don't know for sure that he's even going to be available. Because if I'm the Raiders and I clean house, I think you stay with Carr. If they're looking to go a different route, I would pounce on that immediately... You don't have to worry about what teammates think of him, any of the nonsense behind the scenes with someone like him. Sometimes, that alone can be an upgrade."
Carr, who will turn 31 in March, has led the Raiders (9-7) to their first winning season since 2016, and with a primetime win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the team would clinch a wild-card spot. Although Carr's numbers aren't eye-popping, he's thrown for a career-high 4,618 yards in 16 games with 21 touchdowns and 14 picks. According to Spotrac, Carr will make $19 million next season before entering free agency in 2023.
Mayfield's regular season wasn't pleasant. For nearly four months, he played with the aggravated shoulder injury, and in 14 games, he threw for 3,010 yards with 17 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a career-low 35.3 QBR. On Monday night in Cleveland's road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield was sacked nine times, and he also became the first NFL quarterback since 2019 to throw 10 straight incompletions.
The entire Browns conversation between Lima and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.