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There was no shortage of experts who were skeptical of Baker Mayfield’s upside ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, but there were also plenty of people who thought the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner had what it took to break The Curse Of Being A Quarterback For The Cleveland Browns after the perpetually embattled franchise scooped him up with the first overall pick.
Mayfield was able to bring the revolving door that had chewed up and spit out over a dozen starting quarterbacks in Cleveland since the start of the new millennium to a comparatively lengthy halt; 2019 marked the start of two consecutive seasons where he started every single game for the Browns, a feat none of its QBs had managed to achieve since Tim Couch did the same in 2001.
While he did show occasional flashes of brilliance, his development left plenty to be desired. During four seasons with the Browns, he racked up a 29-30 record as a starter before the franchise opted to bring the Baker Mayfield Era to a close over the summer by shipping him off to the Panthers after making the controversial decision to put its faith in Deshaun Watson instead.
That change of scenery failed to spark a dramatic turnaround (and arguably made things worse), as Mayfield posted a 1-5 record in Carolina to kick off a brief tenure that came to an unceremonious end when he was released by the Panthers earlier this week.
It seems like there’s a solid chance another team will give Mayfield one more opportunity before the end of the season, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to deny he’s shaping up to become the biggest #1 draft bust since Jamarcus Russell.
One unnamed NFL head coach basically said as much while sharing his thoughts on Mayfield’s future prospects with Michael Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle, as the skipper in question didn’t mince words while explaining why he thinks there’s a very good chance the QB’s NFL career is dead in the water.
One NFL head coach, on Baker Mayfield:
This is gonna be his third team. The team that drafted him gave up. The team that traded for him gave up. I think that tells you everything you need to know.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) December 6, 2022
Damn, coach. Tell us how you really feel.