Was Baker Mayfield done well before this offseason in Cleveland?

The Baker Mayfield era is over in Cleveland, but details will continue to emerge on how the relationship went south so quickly.

As the Cleveland Browns attempt to put the Baker Mayfield era in the rear-view mirror, more and more details are starting to emerge on the fractured relationship between the former quarterback and head coach.

Kevin Stefanski is as class act guy as you will see, so it’s not surprising he kept it under wraps last season, but it’s also not a surprise that he was motivated to do everything possible to get rid of Mayfield in 2022. One comment I will make, the rift likely didn’t occur until last season, and I say that because I don’t see them picking up the fifth-year option the prior offseason if things weren’t going well.

An article from the Athletic describes a situation after the New England embarrassment where Stefanski missed an offensive meeting to handle a situation with Myles Garrett. Mayfield wasn’t impressed by that and made his thoughts known, which led to Stefanski no longer coddling the emotional quarterback.

Lloyd mentions it in his article — and I must agree 100 percent — that final Pittsburgh game looked like it was being called by a guy who wanted his quarterback to fail. I struggle to believe Stefanski is that type of guy but maybe letting him get sacked nine times was his way of showing the rest of the organization what they really had.

I think most wish Mayfield well in Carolina. I don’t think he will be there past 2022, but I wish him nothing but success.

He was a foundational part of a change in Cleveland history. He may not have been the best quarterback in the world, but he was a leader of a team that hadn’t won a playoff game since 1994.

Remember, he went to Pittsburgh with a short-handed roster and beat the breaks off the Steelers.

Time will tell if the shoulder injury in 2021 was the reason for Mayfield’s regression in 2021, but I will say I trust the opinion of Stefanski when it comes to judging a quarterback’s ability.