3 things the Cleveland Browns can accept after Week 1

No. 1: Letting Baker Mayfield go was the right decision

Believe me, this isn’t an “I told you so moment”.  I wasn’t brave enough to post this take before the Week 1 matchup, and luckily, I was smart enough to wait until the clock hit zero on the clock Sunday before writing. But the good news is, letting go of Mayfield was absolutely the right call for the Cleveland Browns.

Not only did they upgrade with Watson, but they also avoided a very uncomfortable contract situation this season. Unless Mayfield would have been fantastic (which seems like a stretch after Week 1), the Browns would have been in a situation of negotiating a contract with a guy they didn’t believe in.

Additionally, he’s just good enough that they wouldn’t have had a good enough draft pick in 2023 to go after one. So, do you really want to go into an offseason having to be the highest bidder in free agency for a quarterback? Let’s not forget, good starting quarterbacks don’t often hit free agency either. It usually becomes a bidding war for guys who are excellent backups but deserve a shot at starting.

Mayfield did wonders for Cleveland. He broke them from the losing streak, put them on the map as far as media, led them to the playoffs, and even won a playoff game on the road. Just because it was right to move on, doesn’t mean we should be thankful.

I was thrilled to stick it to Mayfield today and it would have ruined my week if the Brownies wouldn’t have pulled it out, but it’s okay to root for Mayfield the rest of the year now. Just don’t bring up a poor take that Cleveland did him wrong or shouldn’t have moved on from him.