The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to trying and arduous times.
But there’s nothing like cooking up your own drama to really kick it up a notch.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield spoke publicly for the first time since the team traded for Deshaun Watson in March. Mayfield, whose status as Cleveland quarterback figures to change sometime before the start of the new football season, didn’t mince any words:
The dog never moves. pic.twitter.com/bocFo6AjY8
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) April 13, 2022
We’ll get to the meat and potatoes of this post in a moment. But is Baker’s dog OK? Also … where can I get a floor for myself? Just wondering…
Mayfield, 29, is just one season removed from an 11-win campaign, a trip to the playoffs, and a road win against their arch rival Steelers in a postseason game. So, yeah, no wonder he feels strongly about how the Browns treated him this offseason. Being told one thing by your bosses, only to watch them do what they said they wouldn’t has got to be frustrating no matter what job you hold. Don’t get it twisted. I realize the NFL is a next-man-up league. And I know that NFL folks are experts in misdirection and misinformation for the sake of protecting their “plans” for a given season. Even still … I feel as if the QB who won your first playoff game since returning to the league in 1999 deserves a little more than what Mayfield was given.
If it’s any consolation, Mayfield is still in line to cash some nice paychecks from the Browns. The rising fifth-year pro will play on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. That one-year deal fully guarantees $18.858 million. And while there are no cap savings to be had in dumping Mayfield, the Browns will take an $18.858 million dead money hit whenever they move him off the roster. Finding that home might be a challenge right now, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it shakes out. Bonus points if it happens to be a team that faces Cleveland next year. Imagine the ratings for that grudge match.