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The Cleveland Browns-Baker Mayfield saga continues. Today, it was reported that the Browns have no plans to pay Mayfield the $18.8 million that he's owed this season.
Dianne Russini said on The Ryen Russillo Podcast that Cleveland is not willing to pay that money.
Russini said:
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"The Cleveland Browns do not want to take on that contract. I don’t know the number they’re willing to go to … they want nothing to do with that deal. If you want Baker Mayfield, you’re going to pay that money. Cleveland’s not going to try to split it up with you."
The Cleveland Browns owe Mayfield $18.8 million this season. At the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season, the Browns exercised quarterback Baker Mayfield's fifth-year option, locking him up with the franchise through 2022. In the new collective bargaining agreement enacted last year, fifth-year options on first-round picks are fully guaranteed.
When the Browns elected to pick up his fifth-year option a year ago, it seemed like the sensible option. He was coming off the best season of his career and led Cleveland to the playoffs, picking up their first playoff victory over the Steelers in over 25 years. The Browns had an 11-5 regular-season record, and he set a career-high in passer rating that season with a 95.9 rating.
Last season, Mayfield showed regression, going 6-8 as a starter, playing most of the season on a hurt shoulder.
The Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson as Baker Mayfield's replacement
When the Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Texans, it shocked the entire league. Houston sent Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, along with a 2023 third-rounder and 2022 and 2024 fourth-round selections.
Upon being traded to Cleveland, Watson received a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
The trade was a clear indication that the Browns have moved on from Mayfield. Even with him set to make $18.8 million this season, the Browns made Watson a top-three highest-paid quarterback while welcoming him as their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.
The biggest mistake the Browns made was picking up Mayfield's fifth-year option after the 2020-2021 season. The fact that he's due $18.8 million is making it hard for the Browns to trade him away.
