Will Baker Mayfield become a career backup quarterback?

The writing is on the wall for Baker Mayfield to see that he’s not a starting quarterback any longer and taking a backup role might do him some good

Baker Mayfield is a backup quarterback in the NFL. That doesn’t sound right. Does it?

Maybe it does. After a career of playing with a chip on his shoulder, maybe the moment we’re currently seeing play out as the Cleveland Browns are looking to trade the former No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft, is all the more reason to believe that Mayfield may never be that franchise quarterback that some have hoped for.

Mayfield certainly made a valiant effort to be a starter in the league but too many issues over the past four seasons with the Browns have exposed Mayfield as just being an average quarterback. Maybe having a knack for wearing his emotions on his sleeve, which has led to many controversies within the Browns organization, has all led the rest of the NFL to see firsthand that the former Oklahoma Sooner quarterback is just too risky to put in the lead role of their teams.

Cleveland has been trying to trade Mayfield for two weeks after they went out and traded for their new franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. There have been no takers so far. Some have speculated that it’s because of Mayfield’s $18.8 million salary due in year five of his rookie deal. Many in the league believe that the Browns will have to release him and absorb his salary and thus giving the quarterback a better opportunity at signing with any team.

Does that happen? That’s the million-dollar question. I should say the $18.8 million dollar question.

There are several teams out there needing to find a reliable starter like the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But none of them are calling Browns headquarters in Berea begging to trade for him. The fact that some of these more quarterback-needy teams are not salivating at the mouth to bring Mayfield into their franchises should concern Mayfield.

How did Baker Mayfield get where he is today?

It was a season of injuries for Mayfield in 2021, but it was also a year that saw him regress in the mental part of the game. His footwork was poor and his hesitations while in the pocket cost his team dearly. That indecisiveness is something that the rest of the league saw too.

As much as Mayfield will continue to battle on Sundays because he’s a competitor by nature, taking a back seat might just do him a wealth of good.

Yes, Mayfield had some unbelievable moments as a Cleveland Brown. He helped elevate the team to new heights. The teams’ 2020 season was magical, and the Browns quarterback helped get the team into the playoffs and helped beat their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers twice. However, the other three seasons were just not enough to convince the Browns and now apparently the rest of the league.

Someone will sign Mayfield. He’ll continue to get some starts as an NFL quarterback, but his days as a full-time starter are likely over. It’s not the worst gig to have in the league. Former Browns quarterbacks like Brian Hoyer and Colt McCoy have made nice livings as lifetime backups.

Marcus Mariota, who was drafted No. 2 in the 2015 draft by the Tennessee Titans, has now just signed on to be the starter for the Atlanta Falcons. He had taken the backup role out in Las Vegas with the Raiders in the last couple of seasons. This type of path by Mayfield might be what’s needed for him as well.

Sit behind a starter for a few seasons, get a few starts along the way, gain some of that mental edge back and maybe he’ll get a bigger opportunity. But, for now, Mayfield is a No. 2 quarterback.