"This is not the way to communicate to your team" - Former NFL players rips into Baker Mayfield over recent statement surrounding Browns future
In the heat of the Browns-Watson talks, mayfield-injury-how-long-will-browns-star-out-for" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Baker Mayfield issued a goodbye, not unlike a soldier going off to war.
Taking to Twitter, the Browns quarterback made a post using phrases like "I don't know what happens next," and "wherever I take my next snap." Put simply, the post became one of the stories of the day in the NFL on March 16th.
On March 17th, NFL analyst Ryan Clark spoke about the post on ESPN's Get Up. Put simply, he was not impressed. He essentially called Mayfield a child for not voicing his concerns with his team and instead taking to social media.
Here's what he said:
.@Realrclark25 kept it real about Baker Mayfield's recent IG post 😳
"This is not the way to communicate to your team to let them know what you want. If you want to be seen as an adult, if you want to be seen as a leader, you have to conduct yourself in certain ways." https://t.co/Q1u3D1h5N5
“This is not the way to communicate to your team to let them know what you want. If you want to be seen as an adult, if you want to be seen as a leader, you have to conduct yourself in certain ways.”
It is commonplace for coaches to challenge players during post-game press conferences and use the media to put additional pressure on players to get what they want.
There are plenty of examples of coaches listing out their expectations for the team and, therefore, the players in press conferences.
With many uncertainties, here is where my head and heart is. https://t.co/psipN96cmh
However, Clark is completely against putting out messages in public to affect private conversations and interactions. As made clear on the show, he wants people to be straight with each other.
Speaking behind each other's backs or loudly in public in the hopes that the team will hear them to avoid a tough conversation is wrong in Clark's eyes.
However, looking at Clark's logic, the Browns are not in the clear either. They should have informed Mayfield that they were going to look at Deshaun Watson and given him some level of assurance as to his future. Instead, reports state that they talked to Watson without informing their current quarterback first.
Based on Clark's logic, that is also a childish way to handle the situation.
Will Baker Mayfield get another contract?
The timing of the friction between the quarterback and the team could not have come at a worse time for the quarterback. He is still playing on his rookie contract on a fifth-year option.
After 2022, there is nothing keeping the quarterback with the Browns. Of course, the team could franchise tag him, but if they're willing to do that, they would also be willing to extend him.
Put simply, the Browns have some hard decisions ahead. According to Adam Schefter, the Browns have pulled out of the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes.
This solves part of the issue, but now the team needs to decide whether they want to tie the knot with Mayfield or try for something else. In the end, the team could be torn about what they want.