Getty Images Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Cleveland Browns will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, which will give the team a closer look at quarterback Derek Carr, who was recently pitched as a possible replacement for Baker Mayfield.
The proposal comes via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, who responded to a question about realistic Mayfield replacements for next season if the Browns don’t think the former top pick is “their guy.” Cabot wrote:
If the Browns decide they need to look elsewhere, perhaps they’d consider Derek Carr, who would fit well in this scheme. They might also keep an eye on what happens with Deshaun Watson’s legal situation, and then there are other veteran quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson who could become available.
Cabot does note that she believes that the Browns and Mayfield will agree to an extension, although that is contingent on how the rest of the season goes. Mayfield has been banged up this year, making it hard for the team to evaluate his progression in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s system.
The Raiders have had quite a bit of internal turmoil this season, with the firing of Jon Gruden and the off-field issues with Henry Ruggs. However, Carr has been solid, passing for 3,926 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If the Browns don’t think they’ll be able to retain Mayfield beyond his fifth-year option season, Carr would make sense. But the Raiders quarterback hasn’t exactly shown that he can be a significant upgrade over Mayfield when they are both healthy.
Baker Mayfield Bothered by ‘Internal’ Criticism
It hasn’t been all rainbow and butterflies in Cleveland for Mayfield. In fact, it’s been far from it. He’s dealing with multiple injuries and has been criticized in the media, by his teammates’ fathers and apparent also dealt with some internal issues, which he hinted at in an interview with NFL Network’s Kurt Warner.
“It comes down to trying to find an even balance of listening to those opinions around you that truly matter, friends, family, teammates, and that’s been the tricky part about this year, has been a lot of internal things. It hasn’t just been the outside noise,” Mayfield told Warner.
“I have to be myself and try and do my job 100%. The guys that truly know me understand that. We need to take care of business in the building, and I need to be myself for these guys.”
“It’s night and day compared to where I was heading into last week”
@bakermayfield sat down with @kurt13warner to talk about how he and the @Browns will finish up the season 👇
Stefanski responded to Mayfield’s claim while speaking with media members following the Browns 24-22 victory against the Ravens.
“I’m not sure exactly what that’s referring to,” Stefanski told reporters on Monday, December 13. “I talk to Baker every week, every day. I think we have a good line of communication. Our focus is always going to be on the same page.”
Winning Would Solve Issues for Mayfield, Browns
The Browns have had a tumultuous year but are still in the running for a playoff spot at 7-6. If the Browns are able to win this week and the Ravens lose, they’d have the top spot in the AFC North, which was nearly unimaginable a few weeks ago.
If Mayfield can help lead the Browns back to the playoffs for a second consecutive year, the team would have no option but to bring their QB back. Mayfield might not get the same number as his peers Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, but he has shown the potential — at times — of a franchise QB.
“I am in no rush because I am just trying to win games, and like I said, it will handle itself. I am sure Tom and Jack Mills are handling that,” Mayfield told reporters at minicamp. “I do not try and feed too much into that because that is wasting my time and energy and thought process on stuff that I am not in control of right now. I am going to handle what I can control.”