Comparing Baker Mayfield to Johnny Manziel is unfair and ignores the facts

The Cleveland Browns have yet another failed quarterback prospect in Baker Mayfield. Whether the failure is his fault or not is up for debate, but the plan was not to trade or release him following his fourth season after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2018.

Yet that is the reality of the situation as Deshaun Watson is the latest player seeking to become a long-term option under center in Cleveland.

Another first-round quarterback failing to stick as the franchise guy draws plenty of comparisons. Unfortunately, that creates a link between Mayfield and former Browns first-round pick Johnny Manziel.

Such a link has been seen on social media and by sports media personalities since the entire Mayfield saga began in March. But is this a fair comparison at all?

Baker Mayfield is nowhere near the level of Johnny Manziel

Cincinnati Bengals v Cleveland Browns

It may seem Mayfield like Manziel because of his personality. Yes, the former was loud and confident like the latter. Yet there are some glaring differences between the two.

First, Manziel was released by the Browns after only two seasons. That's right. The No. 22 overall pick in 2014 only lasted until the end of the 2015 season. So why was he released?

There were rumors that he was out in Las Vegas partying the weekend of a game when he was supposed to be in concussion protocol. That alone was enough to move on. Yet it got worse as domestic violence allegations were filed by his ex-girlfriend. This all happened when the young player was still trying to prove he deserved to be a starter.

The situation was so bad that the Browns opted for a total reset in 2016, deciding to fully start over by tanking for two seasons. They went 1-31 in that stretch.

As for Mayfield, he showed signs of progress, battled through multiple coaching changes, and even led the Browns to a playoff victory during the 2020 season. There were rumblings he didn't mesh with certain players. Odell Beckham Jr. demanding a trade seemed to confirm that idea.

But he still played through a torn labrum for nearly the entire 2021 season and never did anything remotely close to Manziel. He, also, should have interest from other teams, which was not the case with Manziel, who has been out of the NFL since the 2015 season.

There is a difference between a lack of organizational fit and being a toxic member of a team. Manziel was the latter. There is a reason why he never even got another opportunity. Remember, he is still only 29 years old. He is a drastic comparison, and Mayfield can rest easy knowing his NFL career will continue once the Browns figure out how to move his 2022 salary.

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