"Deshaun Watson is a significantly better quarterback than Baker Mayfield" - NFL analyst gives her take on the situation of Baker Mayfield feeling disrespected

Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield currently share a locker room. One quarterback is almost certainly thrilled about his situation. Meanwhile, the other has been open about his discontent with how it played out. However, one NFL analyst isn't giving Mayfield a shoulder to cry on.

Speaking on ESPN's sports talk show KJM, Dianna Russini took an adversarial stance towards the quarterback's comments on feeling "disrespected" by the Browns organization. Here's what she had to say:

"Absolutely. But he's a competitor, right? This is the number one overall pick here. He doesn't look at it the way we're seeing it, right? We're like this is obvious. Deshaun Watson is a significantly better quarterback than Baker Mayfield. Baker's not gonna see it that way ... and that's probably why he's had so much success."

She continued, pointing out how the quarterback is likely overconfident in his abilities:

"Probably to be a top five quarterback in his mind. But guys, you know, keep pointing to it. We've been talking about this for years, organizations saying one thing, and then doing another? I mean, how many times have we seen head coaches stand at the podium and say, 'I'm not doing this.' And then two weeks later, they do it?"

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She went on, saying that putting oneself in the spotlight creates a chance for criticism:

"Look, I think any time you're going to give an interview and you're going to open up, you're gonna maybe show some vulnerability like this, you're opening up yourself to so much criticism, as much as Baker is going to try to win."

She finished with the prediction that Mayfield is going to begin the life of a backup quarterback this year:

"I think in my mind, the public's opinion of, 'Man, I feel bad for Baker. They did him dirty.' There's probably some people out there. I do think he's gonna get moved, perhaps maybe around the draft, maybe right after. And you know, the life of a backup quarterback is gonna begin for Baker."

Baker Mayfield's starting career

If 2021 was the quarterback's final starting season in the NFL, the stats and tape he's posted could be the best look at what the quarterback can do for quite some time. Of course, there's a chance he could take over for a full season or two in the future, but if Russini's prediction comes to pass, the quarterback's first four years could be career-defining.

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Mayfield's best season in the NFL came in 2020, when he threw for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Meanwhile, his worst season came in 2019, when he threw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. In terms of production, 2021 was close to 2019 while 2018 was close to 2020. Put simply, the quarterback has had as many down seasons as good seasons.

Until he can stack good seasons together, most would agree the quarterback's value has a hard ceiling.