Browns GM Andrew Berry says he expects Baker Mayfield ‘to bounce back next year’
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry gave his end-of-season media availability on Tuesday. Berry addressed a number of issues but, unsurprisingly, a majority of the questions surrounded QB Baker Mayfield. The GM attempted to be very clear about what the team’s expectations for Mayfield are for 2022.
According to Berry, the Browns expect Mayfield to return as the team’s starting quarterback in 2022 noting “We expect him to bounce back next year.” This matches up with the report from NFL Network that we covered here last week.
Berry went on to praise Mayfield’s history as a successful quarterback in the NFL noting that they still believe he can be the quarterback he was for them in 2020. He also noted that he is not concerned about the team’s starting quarterback going into 2022 without a contract extension. The idea that a “lame duck” quarterback could not be successful is not a concern for Cleveland.
In discussing Mayfield’s contract, Berry noted that “every year is a prove-it year” in the NFL. Even quarterbacks like Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, who signed extensions, were traded before those extensions even kicked in.
While anything can happen, Berry backing up the previous report seems to assure that the Browns will enter 2022 with the same starting quarterback for the fourth straight season. The GM did note that he is always looking to bring in the best players regardless of who is on the roster so competition is possible at quarterback but may be difficult to find.
As Browns fans prepare for the offseason, the team’s general manager has made it clear that they are planning around Mayfield at quarterback and not focused on replacing him.
