'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Baker Mayfield's goodbye post to fans of the Cleveland Browns may be four months old, but the quarterback is still receiving flak for it from NFL pundits. One NFL analyst used the post as a bullet in a statement that could be summed up as "shots fired."
Speaking on the "Speak for Yourself" podcast, NFL analyst Marcellus Wiley explained how Baker Mayfield can only blame himself for his current situation. Here's how he put it:
"He's been falling in the eyes of the Cleveland faithful and been falling in the eyes of this organization. Then he tried to break his fall by writing that love letter. I thought [he was] shocked?"
He added:
"You wrote a little love letter to us instead of talking to who you need to talk to, talking with the weapons you have, which is your ability on the football field."
You can read Mayfield's letter to the Browns faithful below:
Willey went on to explain that Mayfield was the architect of his own fall, but it also took the biggest contract ever to unseat him:
"Then he hits the ground after all this falling and then he goes back like 'Who pushed me? I'm shocked while I'm on the ground.' Baker Mayfield, enough of the theatrics. It's okay, big dawg. Your position was just invaded by the greatest contract ever."
Lastly, he questioned Mayfield's shock at how things turned out as he was an active participant in it all:
"There's no shock and more importantly, you participated in every step of the way of your rise and your fall. To me, if you're an active participant, how can you be shocked?"
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Speak for Yourself and H/T Sportskeeda.
Baker Mayfield's rise and fall
Baker Mayfield went into the situation in Cleveland expecting to be a life raft for the organization. After a 1-31 skid, Browns fans and exhausted NFL fans rooted for the quarterback to succeed.
Overnight, the team went from losing 31 times for every loss to nearly reaching .500.
In the quarterback's first season, he went 6-7. His statistics were excellent, as he recorded 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In 2019, Mayfield threw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, essentially coming back down to earth. But he maintained a similar ability to win at 6-10.
In 2020, however, Mayfield reached a new peak with the team, bringing them to the playoffs after a 11-5 run culminating in a playoff victory. Entering 2021, expectations were nearly through the roof for the quarterback. Instead of reaching them, he returned to winning six games.
As such, when Deshaun Watson became available, the team could not say "no." Will Baker Mayfield win more games with the Carolina Panthers than the Browns will in 2022?
