Baker Mayfield's time in Cleveland came to an abrupt and ugly end this off-season. Surprisingly, he is not happy with how it all happened.
Mayfield, who was previously silent, recently spoke on the Yes Neva No podcast and didn't hide his displeasure about the Browns' decision to replace Deshun Watson.
"I feel humiliated," Mayfield said. "One hundred percent because I was told one thing and they totally did another. That's what I'm in the middle of right now. I got a taste of it because I had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators.
"Talk about heights? They always come back. They always come back. But I've had a great time in my rookie year. I didn't start at the beginning. I came in and enjoyed the back half." Year. 2019 sucked. 2020 was great, made it to the playoffs. 2021 was pathetic."
As he indicated, Mayfield's time with the Browns was very tumultuous. The first-overall pick of the 2018 draft saw his first NFL action in Week 3 of his first season, replacing an injured Tyrod Taylor and propelling the Browns to their first win in a calendar year. The future looked bright for Cleveland and Mayfield, and after the 2019 season ended in huge disappointment, the quarterback gave the Browns their first playoff appearance since the 2002 season and their first postseason win since the 1994 season.
His undoing ended the following year. Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2 and, with his performance declining, attempted to play through pain. Once viewed as a Super Bowl contender, the Browns finished 8–9 and were knocked out of the playoffs, leaving Mayfield as a scapegoat and a big question mark for the advancing team. been depicted.
As Mayfield struggled, disgruntled Browns fans and NFL followers did not hold back their criticism, dismaying the quarterback, who a year earlier pushed for his ability to be Cleveland's football defender.
Mayfield didn't take negativity well.
"I'd love to show up to someone's cubicle and only boo s--- from them," Mayfield said. "Watch them crumble."
By the end of another heavy campaign, Cleveland was weighing its options and looking for a replacement for Mayfield. When the Browns landed Watson in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Texans, the bridge between the team and Mayfield had already burned down.
Mayfield requested a trade while Brown was still courting Watson. Up until this point, he's still on Cleveland's roster with no destination, saying on his podcast appearance, "I'm looking for stabilization right now."
"I know what I need to do to be the best version of me and to be able to lead an organization," Mayfield said. "I'm in a good place right now. I don't know where I'm going."
Mayfield did not find much consistency during his time in Cleveland, playing for four different head coaches and offensive coordinators over four seasons. They had the same head coach for each of their last two campaigns (Kevin Stefanski), but they have produced very different results in that period.
He is hoping that he will find consistency with his next team that remains undetermined, especially after the Colts were traded for Matt Ryan.
"It would have been a week and a half before I would have said Indianapolis," Mayfield said, adding Seattle is "probably the most likely option."
"Still, don't know," the QB continued. "I'm ready for the next chapter, for the next opportunity because with the next place I'm only guaranteed one year. I have one more year of a guaranteed contract. I have one year wherever I go, and this I have my next interview. It's something to put on my resume for the next job, whether it's the year I play wherever it's supposed to be and they extend me longer or if it's that year and I'll have to go elsewhere is raised. I know I have a year to do as much as I can. It's no extra pressure. Just... I've been here before."
Mayfield is still on the Browns roster as he is not a player to be traded easily. Mayfield is under contract for only one more season (2022), with the full guaranteed number of around $18 million. Most teams seeking quarterbacks have addressed their need, and few are going to be prepared to guarantee $18 million to quarterbacks, which could prove to be questionable upside with a one-year rental at the end.
Seattle seems like the best remaining fit, as the Seahawks currently pencil in Drew Locke as their starter after a big deal that sent Russell Wilson to Seattle. Pete Carroll hasn't indicated he's interested in a longer rebuild, but Locke isn't a firm solution under the center for a team that is entertaining scenes of contention in 2022.
Then again, few teams, if any, would be eager to strike a deal with Cleveland, which has Watson and Mayfield on its roster and, thus, zero leverage in talks. Brown may only need to attach a draft pick to a deal involving Mayfield in order to get some work done, and Cleveland may eventually be forced to release Mayfield to finalize their ugly divorce.
Regardless of how they split, Mayfield's time in Cleveland is over. Regardless of how Stefansky and Browns general manager Andrew Berry have placed themselves publicly, there is no other scenario in which both sides move productively. As indicated by Mayfield's comments, it is too toxic to defend.
Mayfield's arrival in Cleveland marked a significant turnaround for the franchise, which had cycled through an incredible number of quarterbacks since returning to NFL action in 1999. For four seasons, Mayfield brought the stability he now craves elsewhere. He believes his efforts will not be forgotten in Cleveland, even as his No. 6 jersey fills clearance racks throughout Northeast Ohio.
“I really, really, honestly have no regrets about my time in Cleveland that I tried to give that place,” Mayfield said. "True Clevelanders and true Browns fans know this. So I can walk away from the whole situation feeling like I did."