Getty Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Brown participates in warmups prior to a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Baker Mayfield said he reached out to Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones to “clear the air” after his recent disparaging comments attributed to him by GQ. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports that the Browns quarterback wished to “clarify comments he made to GQ” to Jones and that he was confused by the article’s focus on those words.
This comes after he commented on a Barstool Sports Instagram post Tuesday, where he “wished nothing but the best for Daniel.”
“This is not what I said….just so we’re clear,” Mayfield wrote. “I also said I was surprised I got drafted number one. Then was talking about the flaws in evaluating QB’s. Where I brought up winning being important. Reporters and media will do anything to come up with a click bait story. Heard nothing but good things and wish nothing but the best for Daniel.”
This is the original passage from the GQ article, which focuses on the bravado of the burgeoning star signal-caller:
Near our booth, a SportsCenter segment about the New York Giants catches Mayfield’s eye. “I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones,” Mayfield says, about New York’s much-maligned draft-day decision to spend the sixth pick on the quarterback from Duke (whose college record was a measly 17–19). “Blows my mind.”
I tell Mayfield that I’m mystified that so many supposedly expert quarterback scouts seem unable to predict what makes a good NFL quarterback.
“Some people overthink it,” Mayfield says. “That’s where people go wrong. They forget you’ve gotta win.”
Mayfield posted a 6-7 record for the Browns in 2018, who won seven more games than they did in 2017. He tossed for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, earning himself the PFWA Rookie of the Year Award.
Jones, despite just a 17-19 record for Duke (a historically bad program, for what it’s worth), looks like the heir apparent to 2-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. The Giants rookie has accumulated 228 yards on 16-of-21 passing and two touchdowns in two preseason appearances.
The Browns Are Building Around Mayfield & OBJ, Says GM
Cleveland hasn’t been to the postseason since 2002. After climbing out of the 0-16 hole from 2017, Browns general manager John Dorsey “swung for the fences” to bolster the offense with Odell Beckham, Jr.
He admitted that though it was an aggressive move, he trusted his research.
“I was secure enough with our research that the organization did, in the scenarios we played out—secure with the coaching staff in place,” he said to The Ringer. “If you can help that quarterback be better, then put some playmakers around him.
“When you have a quarterback like Baker Mayfield, I’ve always thought, you want to put as many pieces around him as you can in Year 2 to elevate his game because you are into that second year, and you want to see a 25 percent improvement, from my perspective,” Dorsey added. “So you put pieces around him like this.”
OBJ has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in all but one season since turning pro in 2014. Last year for the Giants, he produced 77 catches, 1,052 yards and six touchdowns. Alongside former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry, who snagged 400 receptions in his first four seasons (the most ever to start a career), Cleveland may have the best passing attack in the AFC.
Add in Nick Chubb at running back (as well as Kareem Hunt after he serves his 8-game suspension), the offense becomes incredibly diverse. These weapons make it seem like Mayfield may take a Patrick Mahomes-esque leap in his second season.
