"I can't blame them": NFL analyst sheds light on why Baker Mayfield didn't fit in $5,150,000,000 AFC franchise's plans

Baker Mayfield was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Despite making the playoffs and playing solid football in Cleveland, the Browns decided to move on from Mayfield in favor of quarterback Deshaun Watson.

In hindsight, the decision is baffling and could go down as one of the worst strings of moves for a franchise in NFL history.

After signing a major, fully guaranteed contract in Cleveland, Watson has been consistently injured and has performed nowhere near the level of an average starting quarterback. Meanwhile, after spending time with the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield has become one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL with Tampa Bay.

Mayfield has performed exceptionally well in his last two seasons, throwing for over 4,000 passing yards each season and 73 total touchdowns during that span. He has also been voted to the Pro Bowl in each of the last two campaigns.

However, NFL analyst Marcus Mosher still believes Mayfield would not have been a great fit with the Browns had he stayed with the franchise.

Marcus Mosher's Baker Mayfield opinion

NFL analyst Matthew Freedman made clear on X that the Mayfield situation was poorly handled by Cleveland. However, Mosher fired back, highlighting how Baker is a much better quarterback today than he was while in Cleveland.

Matthew Freedman

@MattFtheOracle

We still don’t talk enough about how much the Browns screwed up their QB situation.

It wasn’t just that they traded for Deshaun Watson.

Arguably, the bigger transgression was trading away Baker Mayfield.

They had a franchise QB. They drafted him No. 1 overall. They made the playoffs with him on a rookie contract.

And they traded him away for nothing.

Unreal mismanagement.

However, NFL analyst Marcus Mosher then fired back by highlighting how Baker is a much better QB today than he was while in Cleveland.

"The Deshaun Watson trade was bad all the way around. But Baker Mayfield was a very average QB in Cleveland and then bounced around the league. And I still don't think he's a top-10 QB in the league, so it's not like they missed out on a true franchise-changing QB." Mosher said.

Mosher then posted another message on X on Tuesday, clarifying his claims from the previous message.

Marcus Mosher

@Marcus_Mosher

Baker Mayfield is a very, very good QB. But he still has some pretty big flaws.

He would be much better than anything Cleveland has currently on their roster, but they moved on because they wanted to get a true difference-maker and I can't blame them for that.

Is Baker Mayfield a difference-maker at the QB position?

Despite Mosher's claims, Mayfield has been a difference-maker since joining the Buccaneers. Although he may not have the same name recognition or receive the same attention as some of the biggest stars in the sport, Mayfield ranks second in passing yards (8,544) and first in passing touchdowns (69) in the NFL over the past two seasons — ahead of names like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.

As a result, there is no arguing that Mayfield has been a difference-maker the past two seasons in the NFL and a player Cleveland may now regret letting go so easily a few seasons ago.