Throughout their history in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns have been a team known for making mistake after mistake, which is why they are considered one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the league. Currently, they have four quarterbacks competing for the starting job in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While things are tense in Cleveland, Baker Mayfield-the former Browns quarterback-is finding success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s worth remembering that Mayfield was discarded three years ago by the organization in favor of Deshaun Watson, whom they welcomed with a five-year, $230 million contract-a move that has proven to be a complete failure.
Watson is still on the Browns’ roster, but after suffering multiple Achilles tendon injuries, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to play in 2025, and very doubtful he’ll ever take another snap in a Browns uniform. Now the quarterback battle features Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Former Browns player speaks out on Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield is coming off a great season with the Buccaneers, throwing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. The Cleveland Browns should now be completely regretful-they made a huge mistake letting him go, a typical error for a franchise like the one run by Kevin Stefanski.
The Browns drafted Mayfield in 2018, and in his rookie year, he finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Then in 2020, he had another great season and led the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years.
In 2021, Mayfield regressed due to a shoulder injury, and the season was very difficult for him. The Browns didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt. They basically threw him away and acquired Deshaun Watson-and the rest is history.
Leroy Hoard, a former Browns running back in the 1990s, stated that letting go of Baker Mayfield was a serious mistake.
“(Baker) had a contract that was about to expire. He tried to play through a shoulder injury. He couldn’t do it. And everyone just said he sucked. There was no context-just ‘he sucks.’ So the Browns let him go,” Hoard said on the Go Long podcast. “If I were the Browns’ owner, here’s the truth: I’d still have Baker Mayfield as my quarterback and $230 million in my pocket.”
Now Baker Mayfield is shining in Tampa Bay, while the Browns are stuck in a quarterback soap opera-with Shedeur Sanders as the main character, but with more questions than answers inside the franchise.
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