The Mayfield Conundrum

     The Cleveland Browns have many authors in the book that contains the 2021 season that brought such unexpected disappointment to followers of the team.

There are many to blame but one seems to bear the most blame and is the most polarizing to Browns' media, observers, and fans- Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield defenders blame his injuries for his poor play but overlook his lack of injuries for the rest of his bad play during his tenure and believe that Mayfield can be a franchise-level quarterback if he only gets healthy.

Mayfield deriders point to his one good season that you need to assemble from various parts of different seasons (Mostly some of his rookie season and the second half of 2020) and believe that the ceiling for Mayfield is what you saw in 2020.

Which is the truth?

I'd like to say somewhere in the middle but that would be giving Mayfield a large benefit of the doubt.

Look at Mayfield's one indisputable run of strong play, the 2020 season (mostly compiled in the second half of the season) and compare the numbers from 2020 to 2021 and the numbers don't show an appreciable difference other than the obvious elephant in the room- the difference in touchdowns (26 to 17) and interceptions (8 to 13), the numbers are in the same realm.

Granted, the touchdowns and interceptions are a large stat to eliminate from the conversation but let us do so for now.

Mayfield's yards (3563 to 3010), yards per game (222 to 217), completion percentage (62.8 to 60.5), yards per completion (11.7 to 11.9), and sacks allowed (26 to 43) all are in the same ballpark of production.

Keep in mind that Mayfield played sixteen games in 2020 compared to fourteen in 2021, so if you give Mayfield his YPG for two games in 2021 and add it to his numbers, you would have 3,427.

In other words, if you consider that the interception numbers rose because he didn't have the same amount of protection in 2021 as 2020, which I think had something to do with it yet is far from the only reason, Mayfield's numbers in his best season aren't appreciably better than last season.

Yes, Mayfield was playing with an injured shoulder, which I'm sure didn't help his season but looking at the numbers-the shoulder just wasn't as major of an issue as the "Baker Bros" would have you believe.

The numbers show in each season that Mayfield still doesn't get the ball downfield, still isn't as accurate as an average-armed passer needs to be (or as Mayfield was reputed to be when he entered the league from Oklahoma), and has become increasingly vulnerable to injury.

Let's think back to the tremendous Bills-Chiefs playoff game and imagine the crazy final few minutes with both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes firing the ball downfield for big plays.

Now after you watch those throws with seasons on the line, close your eyes and think- Can you visualize Baker Mayfield making those throws?

Me neither.

Mayfield can't and he couldn't when he came into the league, it's just not his strength.

However, if you cannot be that type of quarterback and you struggle as a game manager, how on Earth can you think that you can win a Super Bowl with this player?

In a conference with quarterbacks named Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, Burrow, and Jackson, all more established, all with bigger arms (except maybe Jackson), and all but Herbert having done more than Mayfield?

Can you imagine any one of those teams trading their guy for Baker Mayfield?

I wouldn't trade Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert for Baker Mayfield and five first-rounders and their teams wouldn't either!

No matter how you look at it without bias, Baker Mayfield is an average quarterback in a conference loaded with excellent young quarterbacks with a decade or more still to play in their career and he simply isn't going to get the job done if the Browns have serious plans of winning a championship.

Now I've been asked this question- If you decide that you don't want Baker Mayfield next year, who do you bring in that is better?

That depends as we really don't know who is available and I'm not even sure that I am in the camp of no Mayfield for 2022 because there are worse options-but I do know where I stand for after 2022.

Baker Mayfield would have to post a season above and beyond what he has ever done and one that, in my opinion, is one above his capabilities. for me to even consider an extension to keep him in Cleveland after 2022.

However, in part two of the Mayfield Conundrum, I'll write about possible options if the Browns would be committed to making a change for next season and what I might do to push the envelope if it was needed to move on immediately...