"You're too big of a personality to be a backup" - Colin Cowherd believes Baker Mayfield will struggle to find a job as a backup QB
With each passing day, Baker Mayfield's window of opportunity seems to be shrinking in terms of being a starting quarterback in the NFL. Interestingly, one analyst believes his window to become a backup quarterback is closing too.
Speaking on the Herd with Colin Cowherd, the show host voiced a belief that the Cleveland Browns quarterback is too proud to sit behind anyone or even compete for a starting role. Here's how he put it:
“So according to Albert Breyer, Monday Morning Quarterback, Cleveland has offered to eat a good chunk of Mayfield salary in order to help facilitate a trade. The question to me on this is Baker Mayfield, above the shoulders. Does he view himself as a franchise guy or a bridge guy?"
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He continued, answering his own question:
"He views himself as a franchise guy. So you can't bring him in to compete for the job. He's not going to do it with Deshaun Watson. He's not going to do it period. That's not who he is. He views himself as a former number one pick, a guy that went to Cleveland, he's got a chip on his shoulder."
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He admitted that having a chip on one's shoulder is good, but it hurts when it comes time to step down from the starting role:
"That's good. It's all good. But he does not view himself as a bridge guy. That's why the Pittsburgh Steelers talked about Baker but in the end got Trubisky and a rookie. Trubisky will play the game."
He concluded with an example. In his mind, if the Browns quarterback lands in Seattle in a competition with Geno Smith and Drew Lock, dysfunction will reign supreme:
"This is what you're seeing right now. Drew Lock and Geno Smith, you could do it, but Drew Lock and Baker Mayfield together and Seattle would be a tire fire.”
Baker Mayfield's recent roller coaster
In 2020, most thought the quarterback was standing on the precipice of the next decade-plus at the helm of the Browns. Instead, one disappointing season later, he seems about to be on another team. In 2020, the former number-one-pick threw for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He took Cleveland to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and even got them a playoff win. However, they fell back into their old ways in 2021, at least in terms of wins and losses. In 2020, the Browns went 11-5. In 2021, Mayfield went 6-8 in 14 starts.
Of course, his defenders will cite the avalanche of injuries that befell the quarterback and the Browns for the entire season. All over the field, seemingly everyone missed time. Nevertheless, Cleveland decided to bring Deshaun Watson in and push the former starter out.
The question remains as to whether Mayfield can land on his feet.