When Baker Mayfield failed in the Cleveland Browns’ eyes, they dumped him for Deshaun Watson. Many wonder if they might regret that in hindsight, especially in light of what Watson has cost. Mayfield managed to resurrect his career in Tampa, however, and I’m not sure Kevin Stefanski is surprised.
“Baker wasn’t a bust. Baker, in some ways, got screwed”, Aditi Kinkhabwala said on 93.7 The Fan last week about Mayfield. “I do know for a fact, in conversations that I directly had with Kevin Stefanski, that Kevin Stefanski had no issues moving forward with Baker Mayfield, had no doubts moving forward with Baker Mayfield”.
“The franchise as a whole, the organization as a whole, decided that they wanted to go in a different direction”, she added regarding the Browns moving on from Mayfield in 2022. “That isn’t quite the same as, say, Geno Smith”.
The first-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield is the only Browns quarterback to win a playoff game. Well, the only Browns quarterback of the modern era, as the old Browns are the Baltimore Ravens. They have one playoff win since returning to the NFL in 1999, and Mayfield won it.
In four years with the Browns, Mayfield posted a 29-30 record, including 6-8 in his final season. He went 11-5 in 2020, the year they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. That year, he went 305-for-486 passing for 3,563 yards with 26 touchdowns to 8 interceptions.
But Mayfield’s tenure with the Browns ended rather poorly, starting with his injury early in the 2021 season. He played hurt for the rest of the year, which affected his performance, with many believing he should have sat out.
Aside from his on-field play, he also faced charges against his maturity and compatibility in the locker room. One of the nails in the coffin of Baker Mayfield’s relationship with the Browns came when the team leaked a report that they were looking for “an adult in room”. Of course, their solution to that problem ended up being Deshaun Watson.
Last season, Mayfield went 9-8 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and took them to the playoffs. He went 364-for-566 passing for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, earning his first Pro Bowl nod. He earned a three-year, $100 million contract with $40 million guaranteed for his efforts.
While Mayfield’s relationship with Stefanski wasn’t perfect, are the Browns better off with the Watson timeline? Bear in mind it cost them three first-round picks, among other high-round draft assets. He has played all of 12 games for them so far and has rarely looked better than average.
It’s clear that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam steered the ship that brought Watson to Cleveland and sent Mayfield out. That is his prerogative, of course, as the owner of the team. But it’s fair to question if he made the right call. At the same time, several other teams explored the same avenue, trading for Watson. Most, if not all, of them, however, are probably grateful that Haslam got him instead.
