The Cleveland Browns need to be investing time in looking at the free-agent quarterbacks that are available for 2022 as Case Keenum is aging and expensive.
Where are the Cleveland Browns headed after this big disappointment of a season? There are still two games left, but regardless of the outcome of those games, the Browns front office and ownership have to consider all parts of the team and try to make this organization even more competitive and ultimately get to and win a Super Bowl.
Their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, has been a train wreck this season, piling up injuries and yet his coaches continued to put him out there on the field. Was that a coaching decision? Was it Mayfield refusing to take a seat?
At this point, it really doesn’t matter. However, moving forward does Mayfield play out his rookie contract next season without getting any type of new deal this offseason with the organization?
I still suspect Mayfield will get that new deal, but it’s important the organization still makes sure that if a deal doesn’t happen that they have other plans in the works. Currently, the backup quarterback is Case Keenum. The long-time NFL journeyman has certainly made his rounds over the years.
He had a great season back in 2017 when he helped lead the Minnesota Vikings to a playoff run. Keenum’s offensive coordinator was current Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. So, when Cleveland brought on Keenum to back up Mayfield these last two seasons it seemed to be the logical choice.
Keenum is aging, however, as he’ll be 34 years old on February 17. There are numerous quarterbacks older than Keenum in the league, like a one ageless wonder Tom Brady who is down quarterbacking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Keenum’s age and expense though should be a factor as Keenum continues to sit on the Browns roster.
He earned $6.5 million this season and is due another $5.5 million next year. He’s also due $1 million more if he makes the roster next summer in 2022.
As much as I believe Keenum is a very good quarterback to have at your disposal if Mayfield goes out of a game, I don’t like the price tag for him and especially when we had a season like this one where the Browns organization and coaches refused to play him more when it was certainly needed after Mayfield’s injuries.
Cleveland could save a lot of money if they parted ways with Keenum sooner than later. How that is worked out will be left to those that are good at that type of negotiating. With that need to change the backup quarterback, let’s look at four players that would fit the bill better next season as Mayfield’s backup. These players are a lot less expensive and younger.
Cleveland Browns QB Target: Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota, the former second overall pick in the 2015 draft was considered a lock at having an all-pro career at Oregon when the Tennessee Titans selected him. He started for four seasons with them but never got to a Super Bowl. He helped the Titans get to the playoffs in 2017. That year they lost in the divisional round to the New England Patriots.
Then in 2020, he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as the backup to Derek Carr. This season very randomly he’s been brought into games with the Raiders to run plays when both he and Carr are on the field. When the Raiders played the Browns earlier this season, we saw Mariota enter the field and stay on a play where Carr lined up wide as a receiver.
The one area that Mariota has as an additional weapon is his legs. He can scramble and gain yards out of the pocket. In his rookie season, he had nine carries and 112 rushing in one game and had an 87-yard touchdown run as well. In his 2016, he had several games where he scrambled for more than 60 yards in games.
His contract this past year with the Raiders was very reasonable at $1.75 million. If the Browns were to look at free agents this offseason, I believe Mariota would be an excellent choice. Can you imagine if Mayfield were to go down next season to have Mariota step in along with the strong run game that the Browns have? He would definitely add another layer of athleticism. He’s also only 28 years old.
Cleveland Browns QB Target: Teddy Bridgewater
Teddy Bridgewater has been a starter in the NFL for many years. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings; a place Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is very familiar with and a player that certainly Stefanski spent a lot of time with as he worked with the quarterbacks throughout the years he was with the Vikings as an assistant coach.
After a serious leg injury in 2016, he went on to play with other teams like the New Orleans Saints as a backup. In the last two seasons, he’s returned to a starting role with the Carolina Panthers last season and the Denver Broncos this year.
When he came to Cleveland earlier this year, he played a good first half before suffering an injury in the game. With that in mind, the injury bug is Bridgewater’s biggest concern if he were to go play for another team. He’s a free agent this offseason and he’s 29 years old but is a very athletic quarterback as well.
The Broncos are paying Bridgewater $4.25 million this year. I suspect the Broncos will look elsewhere next year for a new starter. Would Bridgewater settle to becoming a backup again? If it were for a team like the Browns, I believe that he would.
Back in 2014, the Browns took Johnny Manziel as their quarterback of the future, likely one of the biggest busts of all time. They could have taken Bridgewater in that draft and some analysts thought they might back then. Instead, they took one Justin Gilbert, a cornerback out of Oklahoma State. That was another huge mistake by the Browns. Now they might look to Bridgewater to be the guy to replace Mayfield if necessary next season.
Cleveland Browns QB Target: Jacoby Brissett
Jacoby Brissett has always been an interesting story to me. He was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in 2016. So obviously he was a talented young player who was noticed initially by the future hall of fame coach Bill Belichick.
He was traded to the Indianapolis Colts the following year and became their starter after Andrew Luck was injured. He was behind Luck in 2018 but then took over again in 2019 when the former No. 1 overall pick retired.
By 2020, the Colts brought in veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers and then this season Brissett traveled south to Miami and has played for the Dolphins. He’s had five starts this year and went 2-3 in those games. His current contract stands at $2.5 million. I suspect that Brissett will likely be on the move again.
He has thrown 36 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in 59 games played. He’s 29 years old and would be a nice complement to Baker Mayfield if God forbid Mayfield got injured again in 2022. “Knock on wood”.
Cleveland Browns QB Target: Mitchell Trubisky
Currently, Mitchell Trubisky is the backup quarterback to Josh Allen up in Buffalo with the Bills team. The former 2017 first-round pick was drafted by the Chicago Bears unexpectedly that year with the No. 2 overall pick. It surprised many that the Bears would take a quarterback from North Carolina University so high in the draft. The Tar Heels are obviously not known for being a hotbed of NFL talent.
However, he was drafted and began starting for the Bears by the middle of the 2017 season. He went on to be the regular starter for the next four years. He compiled a nice 33-23 record. He has 64 touchdowns thrown to 38 interceptions.
Considering that Baker Mayfield has a 30-29 record in 59 games along with 90 touchdowns to 54 interceptions there isn’t much drop off if the former Ohio kid from Mentor came back and played backup for his former favorite home team.
Trubisky is still only 27 years old. His current contract with the Bills is only $2 million this season. I’m sure the Browns could entice him to come home and play football for his childhood favorite team.
Just imagine if Mayfield went out for some reason and Trubisky came in to save the day for his hometown team.