The Cleveland Browns extended number one overall pick Myles Garrett last offseason and could be looking to do something similar with Baker Mayfield this offseason. Mayfield, drafted number one overall a year after Garrett, has had his ups and downs through a myriad of coaching and front office changes before coming on strong as the 2020 season went on.
Mayfield completed 63% of his passes last season to go along with his 26 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions.
Mayfield is under contract for 2021 and 2022 before his contract expires, at this point. Despite a relatively large bump in the last year of his contract, the fifth-year option, Mayfield is still a relative bargain in 2022 at less than $19 million.
On the Ross Tucker Podcast, Browns general manager Andrew Berry was asked about the big contracts given out to Carson Wentz and Jared Goff and whether those would be considered “cautionary tales.” Berry was cautious in his response:
“I think it is a bit too strong to call it a cautionary tale.”
Berry went on to discuss that each player’s situation and each player was different but noted that they are both pieces of information that the team is aware of. Understanding where Tucker was going with the question, Berry quickly added that, beyond being aware of the two as data points, that those contracts wouldn’t impact his thoughts on extending Mayfield:
“I would be hesitant to maybe over extrapolate perhaps what happened with those two individuals for, maybe, broader implications moving forward.”
Obviously, especially with Wentz from Berry’s one year in Philadelphia, the Browns GM is aware of the contracts that both Wentz and Goff signed before being shipped off to other teams this offseason.
While the Browns have to take every piece of information into account, they can’t let perceived failures by other organizations and quarterbacks impact their upcoming decision with Mayfield.
