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The Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield are hoping to reach a contract extension soon, but don’t expect the former top pick to take a hometown discount and leave money on the table.
Mayfield’s contract is a key piece of the Browns future, with the deal likely to make him one of the top paid players in the league. Spotrac estimates Mayfield’s market value at four-year, $141 million — a rate of just over $35.2 million per season. An interesting factor in Mayfield’s negotiations is the contract situations of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen — quarterbacks from his draft class with bulkier resumes. If those deals come first, it could influence what Mayfield’s contract looks like.
Fowler: Mayfield Hardly Going to Take a Discount
Mayfield took a leap in Year 3 under Kevin Stefanski, which is why many have circled the Browns as a legitimate contender. Mayfield helped lead Cleveland to a playoff berth and first-round win against the Steelers, passing for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns, and — more importantly — a career-low eight interceptions.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Thursday during Get Up that Mayfield is not into the idea of taking a discount on his deal coming off the strong season.
“I’ve talked to execs who think that Baker Mayfield’s deal is the easiest to do because Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen are considered more in that top five-to-seven range of quarterbacks in the league, a little bit of a higher tier, proved a little more. And then Mayfield’s money might be a little more manageable as a result, if the Browns can get it to the finish line. But Mayfield is hardly going to take a discount here. I know the Browns are going to look very hard at this.
“Both sides are open to a deal, but nothing substantial has happened yet. Should be coming maybe in the next weeks or months; closer to training camp that will heat up. And Mayfield’s situation is one where the Browns value him and believe he has a higher ceiling than he’s hit. They’re not going to hold his 2019 rough season against him because the Freddie Kitchens era was a bit of a mess. They believe he’s got another gear he can reach.”
Baker Mayfield Not Stressing Over Extension
Any player would like to have their future secured with a long-term deal, but Mayfield has been open that he’s willing to wait it out. After all, the Browns just executed his fifth-year option, meaning he’s linked to the team for at least the next two offseason.
“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.”
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