Never shy, Browns' Baker Mayfield sounds off on Gerald McCoy and Duke Johnson
In his relatively brief time in the national spotlight, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has shown he’s not one to hold his tongue.
He has an ongoing beef with FS1 host Colin Cowherd, he flamed his former head coach, Hue Jackson, last year, and he even has thoughts on academic rankings like valedictorian.
On Tuesday, he sounded off on a current teammate and an almost-teammate.
‘You’re either with us or against us’
On Tuesday, Mayfield met with reporters as the Browns opened their minicamp.
He was asked about veteran defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who on Monday decided to sign with the Carolina Panthers after also being wooed by Cleveland and the Baltimore Ravens.
Cleveland has been the most attention-getting team this offseason, and McCoy would have added to a formidable defensive line. He opted for Carolina, which allows him to face his former team, the Buccaneers, twice this season.
Asked for his thoughts on McCoy’s decision, Mayfield said, “You’re either with us or against us. Other than that, I wish him the best.”
.@bakermayfield pulled NO punches when asked about Gerald McCoy and @Browns teammate Duke Johnson Jr. "You're either on this train, or you're not." 👀😤
➡️ https://t.co/fleaN4MHpt pic.twitter.com/bNaGr9RaMv— Yahoo Sports NFL (@YahooSportsNFL) June 4, 2019
Cleveland doesn’t face Carolina this year, so Mayfield doesn’t have to worry about McCoy as an opponent.
‘It’s self-inflicted’
Mayfield had harsher words for his teammate, running back Duke Johnson.
Johnson is taking part in the mandatory camp, but he reiterated that he wants to be traded, a request he made months ago, sometime after the Browns signed Kareem Hunt in February.
Johnson contends that the Browns tried to trade him about a month before he formally made his request.
Though Hunt is suspended for the first eight games of this season for his various off-field infractions, Cleveland also drafted Nick Chubb in the second round last year.
He’ll be needed while Hunt is serving his suspension, but Johnson likely sees the writing on the wall, and knows his touches will likely disappear once he’s back.
Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, wasn’t showing much sympathy for Johnson. When a reporter said it’s an awkward situation for Johnson, a third-round pick in 2015 who can play all three downs as well as special teams, Mayfield disagreed.
“It's not awkward. No. It's self-inflicted,” Mayfield said with a shrug. “It is what it is. That's not awkward for anybody else in this building.”
The follow-up question was, how do you support him as a teammate while he’s here?
“He's got to do his job. He said he's a professional, I hope he does his job,” Mayfield said.
The quarterback’s stance seems pretty pro-management, which might not sit well with some of his teammates.
For his part, Johnson did say he expects to be in Cleveland until he isn’t and that he won’t be disgruntled if he ultimately isn’t traded.
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