Did the Browns give up too soon on QB Baker Mayfield?
QB Baker Mayfield continued to prove the rest of the NFL wrong after leading the Buccaneers to a 32-9 victory over the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
The former No. 1 overall pick in 2018 passed for 337 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, becoming the franchise’s first quarterback to ever throw for 300-plus yards and three-plus touchdowns in a playoff game.
That’s quite the feat for Mayfield who has bounced around the league. Over the past six years, Mayfield has played for four different teams and eight head coaches.
Most players with that kind of turnover and inconsistency would fail but Mayfield has done quite the opposite.
The 28-year-old had by far his best season in 2023, throwing for a career-high 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns. He’s certainly set himself up to get paid this offseason after signing a one-year deal with Tampa Bay.
According to Spotrac, Mayfield earned himself a four-year, $108.5M contract, and if the Buccaneers are smart, they’ll give it to him.
It may have taken Mayfield a little longer than he would’ve liked to find his footing in the NFL, but he seems to have finally done it.
The Browns, on the other hand, still have big questions at quarterback after trading three first-round picks and then some for QB Deshaun Watson in 2022.
Watson has played in just 12 games over the past two years, throwing for just 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. And Cleveland gave Watson a five-year, $230M fully guaranteed deal, meaning it’s stuck with him for the time being.
It raises the question of whether the Browns would have stuck with Mayfield and let him progress with them if they’d still be in the hunt for a Super Bowl this season.
Cleveland has one of the most talented rosters in the league but has yet to get the quarterback position right. Maybe all the team needed was patience for its former first-round pick.
For now, Mayfield has the last laugh as he prepares his team to take on the Lions in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday.
