‘I feel disrespected’: Baker Mayfield sounds off on Cleveland Browns quarterback saga

Former Oklahoma Sooners QB Baker Mayfield has been the talk of the sports world this offseason, but not because of anything he did on the football field for his current team. After a season in which he dealt with a torn labrum in his shoulder, Mayfield came under fire for the Browns falling short of the playoffs, when in reality, he probably shouldn’t have played.

Throughout the 2021 season and shortly thereafter, there appeared to be mutual interest in coming to an agreement on a long-term contract. Then the Browns dipped their toe in the Deshaun Watson saga. After it appeared Watson had declined to go to Cleveland, the Browns stepped up their contract offer and made the splash to trade for the controversial quarterback from the Houston Texans.

When the rumors surfaced of the Browns’ interest in Watson, Mayfield penned what looked and sounded like a good-bye letter to the city of Cleveland, a place that hadn’t seen a playoff win in more than two decades and a fanbase that embraced Mayfield’s confident, bordering on cocky attitude.

With the trade finalized, fans and analysts alike began to wonder what would become of the former No. 1 overall pick. Several teams, like the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers, have popped up with rumored interest in the Sooners’ Heisman winning quarterback, but the Browns haven’t revealed concrete plans to trade their once-franchise quarterback.

With weeks to contemplate the move, Baker Mayfield finally broke his silence on the Cleveland Browns and their addition of Deshaun Watson when he appeared Michael Seander’s podcast Ya Never Know: know what I mean?

The interview has more content than you would think at first glance. Baker starts his story with how things ended at Texas Tech and how things began for him at Oklahoma.

Baker didn’t hold back in this interview. This is the clip that has gotten everyone’s attention:

Baker said that he feels disrespected by the Browns. “I feel disrespected, 100 percent,” said Baker. “I was told one thing and they completely did another.”

Baker went on to talk about the coaching situations he’s dealt with since being drafted.

“I’ve had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators,” said Baker. “(You) talk about the highs? They always come back.”

The Deshaun Watson situation still hasn’t reached its conclusion and the Browns currently don’t have an answer on if their new QB will be suspended or not to start the 2022 regular season. Mayfield is still on the Browns roster and may be asked to fill in for Watson should NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspend him.

Mayfield requested a trade back in March.

He underwent surgery back in January to repair his left labrum and was scheduled to begin “light throwing” this month. With the injury and his nearly $19 million cap hit for 2022, teams have been reluctant to trade for him to this point.

However, with the draft approaching, Baker could get dealt by the Browns during draft week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Expect the Browns to send Baker out of the conference. The Seattle Seahawks seem to be the current favorites after trading Russell Wilson. Drew Lock, Jacob Eason, and Geno Smith are the only QBs on Seattle’s roster at the moment.

Baker Mayfield will be in Norman on April 23 for Oklahoma’s spring game, when his statue will be revealed in Heisman Park on the University of Oklahoma’s campus.

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