Primary reason for Myles Garrett frustration with Baker Mayfield is unfair
By Randy Gurzi
Myles Garrett said he will still root for Baker Mayfield but admits the two had a complicated relationship during their time together in Cleveland
Ahead of their meeting in Week 1 of the 2022 season, Myles Garrett again spoke on Baker Mayfield. The two players were back-to-back No. 1 overall selections and while they did find a way to turn the Browns into a playoff team in 2020, things fell apart in a hurry last year.
Garrett said that Mayfield reached out to him via text after being traded to the Carolina Panthers but that he never responded since he wasn’t sure how.
Part of the reason for the uncertainty was the fact that Garrett saw the relationship between the two as “slightly complicated.” However, one of the main reasons Garrett was upset with Mayfield is for something Garrett did himself more recently.
#Browns Myles Garrett: Relationship with Baker Mayfield was 'slightly complicated'; He's rooting for Mayfield to succeed and 'he's a hell of a competitor,' but now that he's the opposition 'I've got to take him out' https://t.co/qLBXGUtBG3
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 8, 2022
What caused the issues between Myles Garrett and Baker Mayfield?
In a report from Mary Kay Cabot, it’s revealed that Garrett started to feel frustrated with Mayfield following his suspension in 2019. The star defensive end was hit with an indefinite suspension that wound up being the final six games of the year when he hit Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet.
Mayfield was asked about the incident in a media presser and said that the actions were “inexcusable” and that he “hurt this team.” Sheldon Richardson quickly told Mayfield he shouldn’t have said this in front of the cameras but Garrett being riled up about it feels unfair, considering he himself had no issues calling the coaching staff out when they lost to the Patriots in 2021 — well after the comments from Mayfield were made publicly.
Cabot adds that Garrett was a leader who “spoke up if he saw something he didn’t like, whether it involved a teammate, coach or member of the front office.” That included his comments about the staff’s inability to adjust their game plan.
Of course, Garrett was defended by many when he made these claims, and the most common defense was that he was telling the truth. But wasn’t Mayfield doing the same? Is it not true that cracking a dude in the skull with a helmet is inexcusable? And is it not true that losing your best defender for six games hurts the team?
Yes, it’s understandable Garrett was upset, and yes, Mayfield should have kept the thoughts in-house. However, the same is true of Garrett when it came to play-calling from defensive coordinator Joe Woods which is why the frustration with Mayfield seems a bit unjustified. To be perfectly clear, there’s nothing wrong with either player making the statements they did, they just should have been done behind closed doors.
Other issues between Myles Garrett and Baker Mayfield
Outside of the helmet issue, Garrett was reportedly also upset over the departure of Odell Beckham, Jr. who was a good friend of his. Garrett wasn’t alone in this as several teammates made it clear they didn’t want to see OBJ leave, and that very well could be what caused the locker room to stop believing in Mayfield.
Week 1 is full of excitement
As if we weren’t already excited enough for Week 1, we now know the Browns and Panthers are both going to be extra motivated. Carolina wants to rebound from a rough campaign and Mayfield is going to want to prove to his former team that he shouldn’t have been traded.
Garrett will want to go out there and silence Mayfield, while proving their defense is good enough to win the game with Jacoby Brissett under center.
