“The worst thing that ever happened to Baker Mayfield” - Skip Bayless credits Odell Beckham Jr. for Browns QB’s downfall

Baker Mayfield was drafted number one overall by the Cleveland Browns back in the 2018 NFL Draft. The next season, when the team acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants, great things were expected due to the weapons in the offense and a solid defense.

Aside from a single playoff win, that greatness was never achieved and Mayfield was never able to cultivate a successful chemistry with the often injured Beckham. Eventually, the wide receiver grew fed up and was cut loose, only to join the Los Angeles Rams on their way to a Super Bowl win.

Skip Bayless, analyst and co-host of Undisputed, has now stated that Beckham coming to the team was perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to Mayfield.

"Well, you and I are going to agree to disagree on this. But Odell Beckham Jr. was the single worst thing that ever happened to Baker Mayfield's pro football career, because it did not work. They did not click.

"Odell had three surgeries while he was a Cleveland Brown. And now, because, and now he's saying, I played all of last year with no ACL. That's what he says I played all of last year. Well, that included the first half of the year for that guy, Baker Mayfield."

Bayless went on to make a valid case for Mayfield without Beckham in the Browns' first playoff win in 26 seasons.

"Congratulations, Baker, you're throwing to a guy with no ACL…All I know is I don't think it was any coincidence that two years ago, just a mere two years ago, when Odell did tear his ACL and was lost at Cleveland, Baker took off… As here he came, and they go eight and three down the stretch. And he throws 20 touchdowns, only three interceptions.

"And they go to Pittsburgh and win their first playoff game in franchise history in 26 seasons, 26 seasons! And he beat Mike Tomlin's team, an arch division rival at Pittsburgh, and had a QBR of 91 on a scale of zero to 100. That's a playoff game, that is special stuff for a still young quarterback. And there was no Odell. I don't know, coincidence, not coincidence."

Baker Mayfield heads to the Panthers hoping for a better connection with his wide receivers

Now that Mayfield has been traded to the Carolina Panthers, he will have to win the starting job over Sam Darnold. In that event, it will be interesting to see if he can build a good rapport with DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson, especially after the latter’s apparent disappointment during free agency, in the possibility that Mayfield could be his quarterback.