Baker Mayfield proves he's a Cleveland QB at heart in Memorial Day yacht outing with wife Emily
Baker Mayfield began his professional football career when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the first pick in the 2018 NFL draft. While he departed the franchise at the conclusion of the 2021 season, it seems as though he took a piece of the city with him when he left.
His wife, Emily Wilkinson Mayfield, recently shared a photo of the couple on a yacht during Memorial Day weekend to her Instagram account.
One of the most interesting details of the photo is Baker Mayfield's hat representing Don Ramon, a Mexican food restaurant in Ohio, mostly in the Cleveland area. It's a popular chain that residents of the area immediately recognize. Ironically, one of their most popular locations is in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
Baker Mayfield is from Austin, Texas and played his college football with the Oklahoma Sooners, so he has no real connection to Cleveland outside his time there with the Browns. It's good to see he still shows support to the city that he used to call home, especially considering the relatively ugly way things ended between him and the franchise.
Why did Baker Mayfield leave the Cleveland Browns?
The Cleveland Browns made a bold move during the 2022 NFL offseason when they acquired Deshaun Watson via trade with the Houston Texans. Watson hadn't played football the season before and was facing a lengthy suspension at the time they made their move for him.
Regardless of the controversial circumstances, the Browns organization also rewarded Watson with a record-breaking contract. The deal is worth $230 million across five years, all of which is fully guaranteed money. This set a record for the most guaranteed money on any contract in NFL history.
The move made it clear that the Cleveland Browns were fully committed to Deshaun Watson being their new franchise quarterback. Mayfield was insulted by their aggressive move to replace him as their face of the franchise. Shortly after the deal was finalized, he requested to be traded or realeased so that he could continue his career as a starter with a new team.
Baker Mayfield ended up with the Carolina Panthers to kick off the 2022 season before joining the Los Ageles Rams later in the year. He failed to secure a long-term job with either team, making him a free agent this offseason. He recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the upcoming season, presumably as their starter.