"Starting to feel bad for him" - NFL fans react to Browns excusing Baker Mayfield from attending mandatory minicamp

As the 2022 NFL season crawls closer, Baker Mayfield is still a Cleveland Brown. Unless newly-acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended by the NFL for a long time or he gets injured, last year's starting quarterback may remain on the roster and not play a significant part in this upcoming season.

Pre-season minicamps are tricky for franchises as they claim it’s mandatory, but sometimes star players and players holding out due to contract reasons will nevertheless skip them. For Mayfield, it was no different as the Browns agreed to allow him to skip the team’s minicamp.

Of course, NFL fans had their own thoughts on the matter and were quick to take to social media to share them. In this scenario, the quarterback received mixed reviews and some people even felt sorry for him:

It’s good to be an NFL player:

The Browns aren’t exactly known to be the savviest of organizations:

The risk of Deshaun Watson being suspended by the NFL is still possible:

It’s a hot take, but Urban Meyer has roots in the state of Ohio. The media buzz alone would be worth its weight in entertainment:

The Progressive commercials will need a fresh team for the quarterback to perform his marketing magic:

The Browns are starving for playoff success:

Johnny Manziel, Mayfield, and Watson make for an interesting quarterback room:

It’s a small sample, but a lot of fans prefer him to Deshaun Watson in this situation:

To quote the great Terrell Owens, “Get your popcorn ready.”

Baker Mayfield remains with the Cleveland Browns

The Browns may ultimately trade Mayfield, but until Watsons’ legal issues are resolved and the NFL decides on how to deal with him, the quarterback will remain a Brown. He is currently in his hometown of Austin, TX rehabbing his injured non-throwing shoulder.

Although the Browns have been unsuccessful in trading him, the former number one overall pick should have a trade market once teams go through training camp and evaluate the status of their quarterbacks.

The Browns also recently traded for former Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper to make up for the losses of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.

Cleveland still has a strong defense to lean on as well as a running game led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. How the Browns will integrate Watson, if he is available, will be the biggest question mark heading into the new season.

It will be interesting to see what happens next in the Cleveland quarterback room, as there could be a lot of activity before the season kicks off later this year.