Getty Images Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns were the center of Tuesday’s trade deadline drama and didn’t have to make a deal to do so.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s dad revved things up by posting a video of all the times Baker Mayfield missed an open OBJ this season. He then went on to trash the Browns quarterback in the comment section.
Baker Mayfield’s wife, Emily Mayfield, has never been scared to share her opinion on social media and got involved in the drama by liking some tweets pointing at other members of the team for the Browns’ disappointing 4-4 start.
One tweet compared Mayfield to Justin Herbert, saying the Chargers second-year standout couldn’t do any better with the Browns’ roster. Another pointed the finger at Cleveland’s receivers for drops and commended Mayfield for playing with his severely injured non-throwing shoulder.
“Baker may not ‘win you games, but y’all won zero games before he arrived. Ever think about that?” the post read. She has since unlike the tweets.
@BrownsByBrad Emily Mayfield, Baker’s wife, is liking tweets blaming the team for failing Baker.
Baker Mayfield was quiet during the drama, his only tweet being a sponsored ad for Nissan.
Emily Mayfield Has Come to Baker’s Defense Before
As noted, this is not the first time Emily Mayfield has come to the defense of her quarterback husband. Earlier in the season, she called out Browns “fans” for their criticism of Baker, who had not revealed the extent of his shoulder injury yet.
“For all of you ‘fans’ who are blaming yesterday’s loss solely on Baker, wake up. It was one hell of a game and that game could have gone either way. He left it all on the field.
“You truly don’t know what you have. I have watched him give his all and change the entire culture in CLE, yet he gets so little credit for it. He never asks for recognition and continues to carry the weight day in and day out, despite the hate. If you’re a true fan, SUPPORT our guys. Baker, and everyone else. The hate does NOTHING for them.”
Mayfield is completing just over 66% of his passes for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns. He’s tossed a trio of interceptions but his QB rating of 96.0 is the best of his career.
Mayfield, Beckham Have Not Progressed Chemistry
Despite all their attempts to create a workable relationship on the field, Mayfield and Beckham have been unable to consistently connect and fulfill the potential many saw when the Browns pulled off the blockbuster trade for Beckham.
Until the latest drama, Beckham had been a model teammate in Cleveland, for the most part, backing his QB at every turn.
“I think that’s more of a story that’s been created,” Beckham told reporters in October after his second game back against the Vikings. “I talk to him after the game, I talk to him during the game, I talk to him after meeting, play [Call of] Duty with him. We chop it up all the time. I don’t really know if there’s a… that word keeps being thrown around like, ‘chemistry’ as much as just it’s the second game back.”
Beckham went on to say the ultimate goal is the win a championship and his personal success and stats came second to that.
“Like I say, the ultimate goal is to win a championship,” Beckham said. “I feel like I am in a great situation to do. It may not be me – there are going to be days where it will be my day and we will be sitting up here and the conversations will be different and then it is all is well. It just is what it is at this point.
Mayfield also backed Beckham when asked about what he was bringing to the offense despite his lack of numbers.
“For one, the run game, he was off the charts physicality wise,” Mayfield told reporters. “We talk about our identity is run first and we are physical team, and we are trying to finish people in the run game and dominate that. You go back and watch him in the run game, and he is physical.”
While the relationship appears soured, with the trade deadline coming and going and Beckham still a member of the Browns, the team now has to find a solution that works going forward as they look to make a playoff run.
Mayfield is the best Qi Cleveland has had since their return. That said, he has a lot of room for improvement, but OBJ was declining before he left the Giants. Injuries have taken their toll and he is no longer a superstar. Beckham is fighting through injury every game, probably hoping to turn it around so they bring him back next year. If the Browns don’t, there’s no way he’s going to make $15 million anywhere else. I’m surprised no team like the Patriots threw out a 7th rounder out there to see if he could turn it around in their system. They, essentially, would get a half season test drive and could unload him in the off-season without cap penalties. He’s proven that it’s not going to work in Cleveland so they should release him so he doesn’t bury the last half of the season. The players families should stay out of it though. They think they’re helping but they are just adding gas to the fire.