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Browns' Baker Mayfield era with final verdict on QB: Too short, too slow, too cocky | Opinion

Quarterback Baker Mayfield proved to be exactly what we thought he was going into the 2018 NFL draft.

Too short, too slow and too cocky.

As the Mayfield era in Cleveland closed with the Browns trading him to the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, the No. 1 overall pick leaves a legacy of inconsistency.

Every day with Mayfield was a rollercoaster ride. He overcame his flaws as a rookie and in the second half of the 2020 season. He pulled the franchise from the abyss of 1-31, which included the 0-16 debacle that set up former general manager John Dorsey to select the Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma.

In 2020, the Mayfield-led Browns made their first playoff appearance since 2002 and recorded their first postseason victory since Jan. 1, 1995.

The case against Baker Mayfield

But 1½ good seasons out of four does not a franchise quarterback make. There were too many potential game-winning drives in the fourth quarter botched, too many uncatchable passes, too few victories with so much talent around him.

Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam opted for a dramatic upgrade in a controversial trade for the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson on March 18 despite 22 civil lawsuits pending against the quarterback for alleged sexual misconduct during massage appointments. That number reached 24, though 20 have since been settled.

Mayfield went 30-31 (including playoffs) with the Browns. Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was 28-25 with the Texans with a less-talented supporting cast.

The league caught up with Mayfield in 2021, when he tried to play through a completely torn labrum in his left shoulder suffered in Week 2. At a diminished physical capacity because of multiple injuries, Mayfield struggled. Many of his passes sailed high, and his receivers and tight ends weren’t willing to put their bodies in harm’s way to go up and get them.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts on the sideline after being taken out of the game after a hit during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts on the sideline after being taken out of the game after a hit during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass.

Entering the draft, Mayfield measured 6-foot- ⅝, and that proved crucial when he didn’t have the athleticism to run away from defenders at the next level.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry found out that Mayfield was not Drew Brees, a 13-time Pro Bowler for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints despite his 6-foot stature. Mayfield was not the athletic equal of 5-foot-11 Russell Wilson, who relied on escapability to post a 104-53-1 record as a Seattle Seahawks starter before he was traded to the Denver Broncos in March. A third-round pick, Wilson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds at the 2012 NFL combine; Mayfield posted a 4.84.

Baker Mayfield's contract limited his trade market

But Mayfield’s physical limitations weren’t the only reason he became the quarterback virtually no one wanted, just like most of the 29 other starters who preceded him in Cleveland.

That was largely due to Mayfield’s $18.858 million guaranteed salary in 2022. In the trade to Carolina, which is pending a physical, the Browns agreed to pay about $10.5 million of that and received a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2024.

But the salary wasn't the only hurdle in finding a trade partner. Mayfield’s lack of leadership, his off-putting swagger and cockiness that so intrigued Dorsey did not play well in the Browns’ locker room.

Going into the 2018 draft, the biggest questions about Mayfield concerned his maturity. His time at Oklahoma included an arrest on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct and fleeing, his flag-planting at Ohio State and a crotch-grabbing incident at Kansas.

Dorsey cast those aside, gambling that Mayfield would grow up.

We’re still waiting.

After last season, Browns players spoke out, saying their unity and brotherhood were not tight enough.

“I think the leaders on this team separated the offense and defense — not in a bad way, but defense worry about the defense, offense worry about the offense. Maybe moving forward we’ve got to try to kinda mesh a little bit more together,” safety John Johnson III said.

Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah said the atmosphere was not nearly as close as it had been at Notre Dame.

“That’s something that I would really like to see is just this team to be a team and the brotherhood to be a brotherhood, just the unit to be a unit,” Owusu-Koramoah said in January.

The quarterback sets the tone and lays the groundwork for that bond, even if others have a strong voice.

The report from ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the Browns want "what they consider an adult" at quarterback was telling, even though Jimmy Haslam denied the remark came from ownership. 

Some teammates may have held the broken relationship with receiver Odell Beckham Jr. against Mayfield, as three-time Pro Bowler Beckham forced his way out of Cleveland in early November. That may have been a bigger factor than Mayfield’s poor performance as the defense played its best in the final seven games.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) stands during an NFL football practice in Berea, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) stands during an NFL football practice in Berea, Ohio, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.

Mayfield, seeking a new team after the Watson trade and the signings of quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs, did himself no favors in terms of convincing potential employers he could be a team-building leader with his comments on the “Ya Neva Know: You Know What I Mean?” podcast.

“It’s a huge battle within the locker room in my position being a quarterback,” Mayfield said on the podcast. “Some of these guys don’t play the game because they love it, they’re playing it to get a retirement fund. They’re making tons of a million dollars and they don’t care about winning.

“How can I get the best out of people that are making a s--- ton of money? I could always motivate people when we weren’t making money. That was easy. I can get in their face; I can do all that … You’re trying to get to that level.”

It turned out that there was a shelf life when Dorsey spoke of Mayfield being a “Pied Piper” whom his Oklahoma teammates followed. Mayfield’s crotch-grabbing, flag-planting braggadocio fell flat with Browns, despite the backing he received from some of them publicly.

Beckham fleeing to the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and the silence of his close friend and fellow Browns receiver Jarvis Landry afterward likely painted a more accurate picture.

Considering what is expected of a quarterback selected first overall, Mayfield was a major disappointment. Such picks are supposed to be the cornerstone of the franchise for a decade or more, one who puts his team in playoff contention every season. If we hadn't seen the likes of Johnny Manziel, Mayfield might be considered a bust, but ending a 17-year playoff drought takes that label out of the equation.

But in terms of the talent surrounding Mayfield, he was supported like none of the 29 others who preceded him. One of the league’s best offensive lines. The best one-two running back tandem in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Pro Bowl receivers in Beckham and Landry. A leader for the defense in three-time Pro Bowl end Myles Garrett. A shutdown cornerback in two-time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward, the fourth overall pick in 2018 recently rewarded with the kind of contract extension Mayfield failed to earn.

Four coaches (including interim Gregg Williams) in four years didn’t help Mayfield, but that excuse can’t cover the flaws in his game and in his locker room persona.

How Mayfield fares going forward will be fascinating. Apparently, the Haslams and Berry have no fear that the Browns will be squaring off against him in a Super Bowl. The two teams will meet in the season opener in Carolina on Sept. 11.

Mayfield may turn out to be Andy Dalton, a decent quarterback who can take a team to the playoffs, but not elite enough to win the Lombardi Trophy. There’s also the possibility that Mayfield is just another NFL backup like many who have lined up under center for the Browns.

It’s not a bad life, as Derek Anderson and Colt McCoy would attest. For Mayfield, acceptance of that will require some growth — personally, not physically.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Baker Mayfield trade seals book on QB: Too short, too slow, too cocky