Baker Mayfield has every right to hate on the Browns
Baker Mayfield is creating a bit of a stir ahead of his Week 1 revenge game against the Cleveland Browns. The new Carolina Panthers quarterback is marketing some t-shirts that have Browns fans seeing this game as the start of a rivalry.
However, the recent events surrounding the player mean that he has every right to hate on the Browns. A cryptic message on his shirt isn't something that anyone can hold a grudge against him for.
Baker Mayfield has no reason to hold back against his former team
It feels almost bizarre and ignorant of recent events for Browns fans to be shocked at Baker Mayfield having some animosity against his former team.
The sequence of events is rather simple. It begins this past offseason when the team started its pursuit of Deshaun Watson. That alone led Mayfield to request a trade, only for the team to deny that request. They even went as far as to leak the view that he wasn't mature enough to lead the locker room.
Then, all of a sudden, his trade request was received warmly once Watson was signed, even with all the controversy surrounding his name.
There is a fair argument to make that the quarterback may indeed be immature. However, that was embraced by fans in Cleveland for a period of four years.
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The perception only changed once he struggled while injured during the entirety of the 2021 season. Him being allowed to start every week remains a confusing reality that is hard to explain to this day.
It is fair to say that the quarterback frequently opens his mouth and seeks extra motivation. He famously planted a flag in college after beating Ohio State and never shied away from straddling the lines of sportsmanship.
Again, this is the NFL and that type of attitude is usually embraced and was in Cleveland before 2021.
The goal for him now is to keep that going in Carolina. A win in Week 1 would go a long way towards establishing a new culture both for the team and for himself. Even with the absence of Watson, the Browns are still a talented team and a Panthers win would be a monumental statement.
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The beauty of this matchup is that the two teams will rarely meet, barring a shocking Super Bowl showdown. That allows Baker Mayfield to talk his talk, back it up on the field, and for both sides to move on rather quickly. It's not like he is the quarterback in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati.
NFL players know the league is a business, but that doesn't mean feelings are immediately lost or reset after something goes wrong. In Mayfield's case, he has been given a golden gift by those making the schedule.
Browns fans can be annoyed by his actions, but he is not going to change for anyone. That was made clear the moment he debuted in Cleveland.