"I'm just flabbergasted" - Robert Griffin III stunned by Cleveland Browns' handling of Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield is still a member of the Cleveland Browns, less than a week away from the NFL draft. The former No. 1 overall draft pick formally requested a trade from the Browns five weeks ago but has generated minimal interest from teams around the league.
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III tweeted his astonishment over how the franchise has handled Baker Mayfield since they acquired Deshaun Watson. Griffin's tweet included a picture with a quote from himself on ESPN's Get Up! Thursday. The quote read:
"I'm just flabbergasted at how the Browns could mismanage this situation so poorly."
Griffin's captioned tweet blamed the Browns organization for sinking Mayfield's trade value by negatively talking about him to the media. Griffin also stated that the Browns should've traded Mayfield immediately after putting pen to paper with Watson. The tweet further read:
"The Browns needed to trade Baker Mayfield before the ink dried on Deshaun Watson's contract. Instead, they trashed Baker in the media, aided in killing his trade value and are stuck with a QB they don't want."
The Browns needed to trade Baker Mayfield before the ink dried on Deshaun Watson’s contract. Instead, they trashed Baker in the media, aided in killing his trade value and are stuck with a QB they don’t want. https://t.co/cqsnSXCWP9
It's hard to disagree with Griffin when he holds the Browns responsible for Mayfield still being with the team this deep into the offseason.
Sure, Mayfield's outspoken personality is partially responsible for the lack of interest in the former Heisman Trophy winner.
However, the emotions in the Browns' locker room must be running high, given their quarterback room is the most controversial position group in the entire NFL.
Baker Mayfield played injured throughout the 2021 season
Another reason for Mayfield's lack of trade interest around the league this offseason has been due to his sub-par play in 2021. After a promising Week 1 showing where he went throw-for-throw with Patrick Mahomes, Mayfield suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in Week 2.
Despite the injury being on his non-throwing shoulder, his quality of play dipped weekly. By the second half of the season, Mayfield was one of the least effective quarterbacks in the NFL.
Rather than exit the lineup to rehab his injury, Mayfield continued playing. Ultimately, that cost him his job in Cleveland.
Baker Mayfield is a case study on why it doesn’t pay to try and tough it out thru a serious injury at the NFL level.
Effectively torpedoed his own stock.
With the NFL draft less than a week away, we may finally see Mayfield get moved. Whether or not he's traded will be decided by whether teams like the Carolina Panthers or Seattle Seahawks take Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett in round one.
Until Mayfield isn't on the Cleveland Browns team officially, this is an ugly situation for all parties involved.