Getty Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield has been hitting the gym hard this offseason and is feeling so confident that he called out New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley — the notorious quad king.
Mayfield and Barkley are good friends and came out in the same draft, Mayfield going No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns and Barkley No. 2 to the Giants in 2018. But the former Heisman winner is always down for some good ribbing, which came in the photo he posted over the weekend.
“Coming for you Saquon,” Mayfield wrote with a photo of his shorts rolled up, showing off his quads.
Mayfield obviously has quite a ways to go to catch Barkley, whose quads are a thing of legend.
“What do I love about my body? I would say, probably, my legs,” Barkley told ESPN in 2018. “I get a lot of compliments about my legs. Definitely my legs. Going back to my sport, my position, being able to be strong and still be quick and fast. Being 230 pounds, a lot of people don’t think you can move the way I need to move, so that is just all the hard work I put into my legs and working on my speed and my legs. So definitely my legs and my calves.”
Saquon Barkley Defended Baker Mayfield Last Year
GettyQuarterback Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield was under fire for his “dad bod” last offseason, not looking especially ripped in a viral photo that circulated after the season was over.
The picture showed a shirtless Mayfield posing next to NFLers Aaron Colvin, Alec Ogletree, Sterling Shepard and Barkley. Quickly, the internet put Mayfield on blast, but Barkley had his back.
i feel like im the baker of my friend group 😂
“He’s a quarterback, he’s not supposed to be shredded,” Barkley told TMZ. “We in off-season, he’s gonna have time to get his body right. He can throw the ball 80 yards. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Mayfield addressed the photo himself on the “Pardon My Take” Podcast.
“You know what shape I’m in right there? Vacation shape,” Mayfield said with a laugh. “It’s bloating from travel. That was the first day — I’ll say that. I look like [expletive].”
Baker Mayfield Coming Off Big Year
The Browns recently picked up Mayfield’s fifth-year option, which means the former No. 1 overall pick is locked in for at least the next two seasons.
Mayfield had a strong showing a year ago in what was a crucial year for both he and the Browns. He passed for 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, showing major improvement down the stretch, helping lead the Browns to their first postseason victory in over a quarter-century.
His 2022 salary will be $18.89 million and the next decision the Browns have to make is whether or not to lock Mayfield in for the foreseeable future with what will be a lucrative deal. Mayfield isn’t worried about it.
“I get asked about it a lot, but it is also one of those things that I trust wholeheartedly in the Mills family, my agents, and for them to handle that behind that scenes,” he told reporters recently. Right now, it is about setting up the foundation for this upcoming season, continuing to build on what we left with last year and continuing to improve.”