Baker Mayfield is not serving as a proper leader with the Browns
Baker Mayfield did not get the contract extension he desired in 2021. He was out to prove himself and the final result was him playing hurt all year and the Cleveland Browns missing the postseason.
But it wasn't just that. Odell Beckham Jr. forced his way out of town in the middle of the season after not finding a connection with the quarterback. Jarvis Landry is now posting his frustration on social media, and it's clear there is a lack of leadership on offense.
I GAVE EVERYTHING!!!! EVERYTHING
The one thing NFL teams desire the most is a franchise quarterback. Mayfield was supposed to be just that when he was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. While the early signs were good, a lack of leadership may be dooming his chances of staying with the team on a long-term basis.
Bad signs with Baker Mayfield and the Browns
Fans know Mayfield is a hard-nosed player who has always had a chip on his shoulder. That was true in college and the moment he entered the NFL. Yet sometimes he may go too far, as he did by calling out the Cleveland media in January.
"Clickbait. You and many other Cleveland local media continue to be drama stirring reporters with no sources or facts. Don’t put words in my mouth so you can put food on your table. I’m not your puppet," Mayfield wrote in a quote retweet of a tweet shared by Cleveland.com writer Mary Kay Kabot.
Kabot's initial tweet was a link to her article with the statement "Baker Mayfield must resolve his differences with Kevin Stefanski soon in case they need to co-exist next season; Also, some names that will be on the radar if they don't."
Clickbait. You and many other Cleveland local media continue to be drama stirring reporters with no sources or facts. Don’t put words in my mouth so you can put food on your table. I’m not your puppet. twitter.com/MaryKayCabot/s…
The Browns missed the playoffs; Mayfield showed regression, and the media was commenting on how changes may need to be made.
Any criticism of Mayfield must point out some things that have gone against him. Most notable is the fact that he has played under three full-time head coaches and one interim coach in his four NFL seasons. Some quarterbacks don't have that many coaches in an entire career.
Then came the 2021 season when he suffered a shoulder injury while attempting to make a tackle in Week 2. He ended up playing hurt the entire season and it ultimately hurt the team, too. Was that on him alone, or did he receive bad advice? The situation remains murky.
But overall, he is not rallying his team together like Joe Burrow or Patrick Mahomes. Any message on social media may just fall flat, both to fans and to teammates, if the performance is not backing up the words.
Mayfield is now entering 2022 ready to play on his fifth-year option. His name is coming up in trade rumors as well and fans have to wonder if this would be different if he ignored the outside noise and just focused on getting better.