A prominent team insider has defended the Cleveland Browns’ decision to move on from Baker Mayfield — even as the former No. 1 pick thrives with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cleveland dealt Mayfield in 2022 after swinging a blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson, a move that made it clear the franchise no longer viewed Mayfield as their long-term solution under center.
A torn labrum derailed his final season in Cleveland, limiting him to 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and a 40.9 quarterback rating. The Browns ultimately traded him to the Carolina Panthers, where he was waived after just six starts. A brief but encouraging stint with the Los Angeles Rams followed, though doubts about his NFL future loomed large.
Mayfield reset his career in Tampa Bay, signing a one-year, $4 million “prove-it” deal in 2023. He delivered in a big way, earning a Pro Bowl nod and parlaying that performance into a three-year, $100 million extension in March 2024.
Baker Mayfield Was in ‘Bad Situation’ With Browns
Mayfield has guided the Buccaneers to a 2-0 start this season, throwing for 382 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions while looking every bit like a steady franchise quarterback. But according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, the Browns were never going to get this version of Mayfield — because he needed to be humbled first. She cited his rocky marriage, problems with family members and the disfunction of the Browns franchise all as factors.
“The truth is, Mayfield probably never would’ve become the Pro Bowl version of himself with the Browns, whom he demanded trade him after they visited (Deshaun) Watson in Houston in March 2022,” Cabot said. “He landed in a bad situation for a rookie QB, tried to overcome it, and lost his way amid the turmoil.”
That reality set in only after Cleveland shipped him to the Carolina Panthers in 2022, where Mayfield hit rock bottom both on and off the field. He has since admitted that the trade — and the struggles that followed — forced him to rebuild not only his football career, but also his personal life.
“God taught me a lesson,” Mayfield said on the Sports Spectrum podcast in March. “He had to take my career down to the studs and make me realize that I’m more than a football player. There’s much more going on than the game of football, and for me to see that, I had to hit rock bottom. And that was it. It wasn’t just football. It was in our marriage.”
Browns Still Searching for Quarterback Solution
Mayfield has found stability, but the Browns remain adrift at quarterback. Cleveland opened the season with 40-year-old Joe Flacco under center and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders waiting in the wings. The result has been an 0-2 start and more uncertainty about the future of the position.
Armed with two first-round picks in next year’s draft, the Browns could take another swing at finding a long-term answer. But before they commit, the front office needs to see whether Gabriel or Sanders can show enough promise to justify the investment already made.
That’s not to mention Watson, who was expected to be the long-term solution in Cleveland. Owner Jimmy Haslam dubbed the trade a “swing and miss” this offseason. Watson is not expected to see the field as the starter again with the Browns.