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Time doesn’t heal all wounds when it comes to Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield has remained relatively quiet on his former squad but he was asked about Cleveland during an interview on Thursday. He made it clear that he has no love for his former team.
“What old place, Oklahoma? They are 6-5,” Mayfield said.
The reporter clarified that he was asking about the Browns, not the Sooners.
“That’s not my old place, I use to play there,” Mayfield said.
It’s an interesting and pretty unnecessary comment from Mayfield, who was drafted No. 1 overall by Cleveland in 2018 and spent four seasons with the Browns. After a long, drawn-out offseason, Mayfield was traded away this offseason after the acquisition of Deshaun Watson.
Mayfield got his chance at “revenge” when he started for the Panthers in Week 1 but came up just short, with the Browns edging Carolina on a late field goal. Prior to that matchup, he made it clear that seeing his former team meant a little more.
“I’m not going to sit here and be a robot and tell you that’s not one I’ve marked on the calendar already. One, that’s not who I am. To me, it’s about winning games,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, this one has a little more history and personal meaning, but for me, it’s about winning and setting the tone for the rest of the year, and however I can help this team do that, I’m going to do.”
Mayfield Benched Again in Carolina
Mayfield has had a tough go with Carolina and was recently benched for the second time, with the Panthers now choosing to go with Sam Darnold as their starter. Mayfield previously lost his job to undrafted, former XFL quarterback PJ Walker, who is nursing an ankle injury. Once Walker returns, Mayfield will likely be third on the depth chart.
“There’s a lot of things up in the air for the future here, so I don’t really know,” Mayfield said. “I’m doing what I can, what I can control. I know how my teammates feel about me and how I’ve handled things here. So, I can leave here with my head held high and understand that I did everything I could.”
The benching impacts the Browns because the conditional draft pick they traded for was based off Mayfield’s playing time with the Panthers. He would have had to play 70% of the snaps for it to turn into a fourth rather than a fifth-round pick.
“It is a crazy year,” Mayfield said. “There’s a lot of strange things happening [at quarterback around the league]. … The quarterback room has pretty much handled it in the best way possible, rolling with the punches. We’re just doing what we’re told.”
Browns Awaiting Debut of Deshaun Watson
The Browns are heading into their final week without Watson, who was handed an 11-game suspension after settling with the NFL. The Browns have gone 3-7 with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback but will get their first look at Watson when they take on the Texans on December 4.
“You guys already know what type of quarterback he is,” Browns cornerback Denzel Ward said. “Definitely exciting getting him back.”
The Browns postseason chances are hanging by a string with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to town on Sunday but a win would help them keep their very narrow chances for a playoff berth alive.
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