Cleveland Browns likely to pick up fifth-year options on Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward

The future of the Cleveland Browns is bright and two of the cornerstones of that future are quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Denzel Ward.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are likely to pick up the fifth-year options for Mayfield and Ward, who will both enter their fourth pro season in 2021. The deadline to pick up these options is May 3. Both options should be picked up before then and then the Browns can decide if either will be extended.

Cleveland has the highest cap rollover in the NFL at $30.4 million and their estimated cap space for the 2021 season will be roughly $29.74 million.

Cabot says that Ward will likely get the extension before Mayfield as the Browns know what they have in Ward, when he’s actually on the field, whereas “Mayfield has yet to put together a full season at an elite level.” That is a bit unfair to Mayfield as he has had four different head coaches and offensive coordinators in his first three seasons.

Regardless of which one gets extended first, the Browns don’t have to rush into any decisions any time soon. Both have shown what they can do to help this team moving forward and both have earned the right to a contract extension, whether that is this offseason or next.

Ward has shown glimpses of being the elite cornerback that the Browns need, despite missing 11 games in his first three seasons. In his rookie campaign, Ward made the Pro Bowl after compiling three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in 13 games. In his first three seasons with the Orange and Brown, Ward has seven interceptions, including a pick-six, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 143 tackles and 40 passes defended.

When opposing quarterbacks target receivers Ward is defending, they complete 51 percent of their passes. His health is the biggest issue, but when he’s on the field, he has proven he’s worth a contract extension.

Mayfield wants to be the guy in Cleveland and has wanted that since before the 2018 draft, where the Browns drafted him No. 1 overall out of Oklahoma. He’s someone who embraced the struggle of the franchise and wanted to be the guy to lead them to a winning culture.

In his rookie season, he set the NFL rookie record for passing touchdowns with 27. There was a lot of hope for him going into his sophomore campaign, but he regressed and struggled. Fast forward to his third season and Mayfield took huge steps forward, throwing for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing nearly 63 percent of his passes. He led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time in 18 seasons and a playoff win for the first time in 26 years.

Despite the head coach and offensive coordinator carousel, Mayfield really matured over the course of three seasons. He no longer chirps back and forth with the media but instead will take subtle shots – looking at you Colin Cowherd.

The culture change in Cleveland is still a work in progress, but the 2020 season was huge for the entire franchise and fan base, and Mayfield deserves a lot of credit for that. While many fans believe that he is the guy, it doesn’t mean the Browns don’t think that should they decide to wait and see how the 2021 season plays out for Mayfield before extending him.

Both players will have their fifth-year options picked up before the May 3 deadline and one or both might have to wait a year for that coveted contract extension.