Getty Images Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
Baker Mayfield had successful surgery on the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder and the Cleveland Browns quarterback is eager to begin his road to recovery.
Mayfield shared a message on social media following the procedure, sharing that it was a success.
“I checked that box off to get this fixed and now it’s on the way to the road to recovery,” Mayfield said. “This is one of those steps to get back to my true self. This past year hasn’t been very easy.”
Thanks to Dr. Limpisvasti and his team for performing a successful surgery. This is only going to be a minor bump in the road.. excited to get healthy and back to my normal self. Thank y’all and God Bless.
Mayfield is coming off his most inconsistent season as a pro, tossing 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, limping to the finish line of the season due to his banged up shoulder and some other ailments that slowed him during the year.
He suffered the injury in Week 2 and wore a brace on his shoulder following the injury. While there was mixed feedback about how that affected his throwing motion and accuracy, it’s clear he was much less than 100 percent throughout the season.
Mayfield made it clear that he expects to bounce back and be better than ever following the procedure.
“This is not the end of my story,” Mayfield said. “It’s just going to be one of those little things that I’ll look back and remember that’s one of those challenges and adversity that I’m going to try to take advantage of me, and it’ll make me a better person.”
Mayfield Out 4-6 Months Following Surgery
The timeline provided by the team for Mayfield to make a complete recovery from the surgery is 4-6 months, although he’s expected to do some light throwing in April. He’s expected to start physical therapy next week, per Jake Trotter of ESPN. Trotter also reported that Mayfield is expected to be cleared by training camp, if not sooner, which is important as he enters a very important year.
Mayfield is playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie deal, making it a make-or-break season for him if he wants to remain in Cleveland — or even as a starter in the NFL. Despite the team finishing 8-9 and slumping down the stretch, the Browns have backed Mayfield since the season ending.
“We have been with Baker for a long period of time at this point. We know his work ethic, we know his drive and we have seen him as a talented passer in this league. We are looking forward to him getting healthy and continuing to make improvements. We expect him to bounce back next year,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters last week.
Stefanski Feels Good About Relationship With Mayfield
Prior to the end of the season, a report emerged from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that Mayfield could seek a trade if he didn’t get a feeling that the offense would shift to more of his strengths. It also referenced a rift in the relationship between Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski, who calls the offensive plays.
Stefanski gave a bit of insight on his relationship with Mayfield during an interview with Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps on 92.3 The Fan.
“It’s good. We talked. He’s going to get surgery, which is huge for him, and he can start the rehab process here and get ready to jump back into it,” Stefanski said. “But Baker and I, I think we work well together.
“I respect him. He respects me. I push him. He understands how we operate. We’ve had two years together, and I think as a team we’ve certainly just had our ups and downs. But I do think that we push each other, and there’s definitely a level of respect there.”
Mayfield’s relationship with Stefanski will be key going forward and the duo has shown that they can be successful. The key now for the Browns is staying healthy.
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Browns QB Baker Mayfield Sends Strong Message Following Surgery