"More pressure on Mayfield than Rodgers' bowel" - RGIII says Browns QB needs to win Super Bowl next season
The Cleveland Browns have a challenging decision to make regarding the future of Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has played inconsistently to start his NFL career.
The Browns are considering the possibility of moving on from the 26-year-old this offseason as a result.
If Mayfield returns to the Browns, it'll be his last chance to prove he's worth a long-term investment. ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III knows what it's like to be in Mayfield's shoes. He appeared on NFL on ESPN on Thursday to talk about it.
Griffin believes Cleveland's quarterback faces more pressure than any player in the NFL. Even more so than Aaron Rodgers' bowels during a 12-day panchakarma cleanse.
Griffin gave Mayfield lofty goals to aspire to to put his uncertain future to rest. Griffin said,
"I don’t know if it’s the deal that really puts the pressure on Baker. But I think Baker is under the most pressure of anybody in the league. He's got more pressure on him than Aaron Rodgers’ bowels did during his 12-day cleanse. Quite simply, that's exactly what it is. So, Baker needs a Joe Flacco type of year. He needs to run the table, and win a Super Bowl. Anything short of that? He's not going to get the public to buy in on him. He's definitely not going to get the people in the front office to buy into him being the quarterback past 2022."
Griffin set the bar high for Mayfield, but he's right that he needs to show the Browns something. The former Washington Commanders quarterback did suggest that Mayfield has it in him to perform brightly under pressure with his back against the wall, adding,
"But we got to realize Baker's also a guy that always performs his best when his back is against the wall and no one believes in him. He went from a walk-on to being a Heisman Trophy winner, and I believe he needs that kind of turnaround in Cleveland for anyone to take him seriously. But if he doesn't run the table and win a Super Bowl, I think we might have seen the last of Baker Mayfield in Cleveland after this next season."
.@RGIII believes Baker Mayfield is under more pressure than anyone in the league 👀
"If he doesn't run the table and win a Super Bowl, I think we might've seen the last of Baker Mayfield in Cleveland after this next season." https://t.co/Uck3Sl3rd9
Cleveland Browns need a viable quarterback to contend in the AFC North
The bottom line is Cleveland will need excellent quarterback play, whether it's Mayfield or someone else. The Browns roster is talented, most notably at offensive line, running back, and defensive line.
But they lacked a quarterback to get them over the hump in 2021.
The AFC North has two ascending superstar quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. Burrow is coming off a Super Bowl run and rising to stardom, similar to Jackson's in 2019.
Jackson had a down year by his standards. But he performed similarly to Burrow in his rookie year, which shows how good Jackson has been since taking over for Joe Flacco.
@DerGermanTiger for those who like stats:
Joe Burrow rookie season:
13 TD’s
5 INT’s
2,688 yards
65.3% completion
2-7-1 record (9 full games, injured during game 10)
Lamar Jackson this season:
16 TD’s
13 INT’s
2,882 yards
64.4% completion
7-5 record (10 full games, injured during game 11)
What the Pittsburgh Steelers do at quarterback remains to be seen, but they're an organization that always gets their teams to compete well. Until they join Cleveland in addressing their signal-caller position, we can't predict how the AFC North will unfold.
The quarterback carousel is spinning in full force, and it's only a matter of time before Mayfield knows where he'll end up for the 2022 season.