"Pretty sure he'd be starting QB of the Browns" - NFL insider reveals where it all went wrong for Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield had an impressive rookie season, going 6-7 and and throwing for over 3,700 yards and 27 touchdowns. Two seasons later, he led the Browns to an 11-5 record while earning a playoff berth and beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first-round.
Baker Mayfield took the 0-16, embarrassment of an NFL team Browns to an 11-5 record and on to the divisional round in just 3 years. Truly incredible
A season later, it seems like his days as a Brown are numbered. After a lackluster 2021 season and with the Browns acquiring Deshaun Watson, it seems unlikely he'll be with the Browns heading into 2022.
NFL Network analyst Ian Rapoport talked about where things went wrong with the quarterback and his shoulder injury.
Rapoport said:
“I would say if he could go back and just have surgery? I’m pretty sure he’d be the starting quarterback of the Browns now. Because he wants to play badly. He’d be a guy that just led them to a playoff, and they would say, ‘This is my quarterback of the future.’ So like, he always wants to play, just like Kershaw always wants to pitch. But you can't do that. You know, so the worst-case scenario happened for him which is he didn't play well, and they ended up replacing him.”
On October 7, 2021, it was revealed that the quarterback was playing with a partially torn labrum which he suffered during the Browns Week 2 victory against the Houston Texans, and he played the majority of the season on it.
Baker Mayfield's shoulder surgery at the conclusion of the 2021 season
After the Browns were eliminated from the postseason following a Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns announced Mayfield would undergo surgery on his torn labrum, which ended his season. He was placed on injured reserve on January 5, 2022 and missed the final game of the season.
He had surgery in early January following the end of the regular season.
The surgery was conducted by Dr. Orr Limpisvasti in Los Angeles, and Mayfield is expected to make a full recovery in 4-6 months
Thanks to Dr. Limpisvasti and his team for performing a successful surgery. This is only going to be a minor bump in the road.. excited to get healthy and back to my normal self. Thank y’all and God Bless. https://t.co/cRVdkB6t9d
He thanked Dr. Limpisvasti for performing the surgery and is excited about getting back to being normal and healthy again.
He said:
"Surgery went great. Was a complete success," Mayfield said in a video posted to social media. "Now it's on to the road to recovery. It's one of those steps to get back to my true self. ... This is not the end of my story."
The quarterback is still currently a Brown, but his future in Cleveland remains in question. The former first-overall pick could be traded, released, or he could serve as a backup to Deshaun Watson.