Baker Mayfield seeking information on possible misuse of $12 million by family investment firm

Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, is trying to get his NFL career back on track. This year, he's with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his third franchise since leaving Cleveland ahead of the 2022 campaign.

As he's trying to lock down a starting job, it appears he's having some serious issues outside the game.

According to KXAN, Mayfield and his wife Emily filed a petition earlier this week seeking information on how $12 million was spent by an investment firm that includes members of his family. Legal experts weighing in say this petition could be a precursor to a lawsuit as there's reason to believe the funds were misappropriated.

“From January 2018 through the present, more than $12 million was transferred from Petitioners’ personal account(s) and routed through various entities and investments,”the court filing claims. “Petitioners have been unable to account for, or obtain information about, the current location and/or status of those funds.”

It's an unfortunate situation that Mayfield and his wife are being forced to go through. Regardless of how much he's made in his career, $12 million is a sizable amount of money.

Baker Mayfield has the edge in QB battle with Tampa Bay

As for his outlook on the 2023 season, Mayfield is learning his third new system in two years and has had some issues with interceptions during camp. He did, however, play incredibly well in his preseason debut.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield was 8-of-9 passing with 63 yards and a touchdown. He outperformed Kyle Trask, who had 99 yards and no touchdowns while completing 6-of-10 passes. He also had an interception while Mayfield didn't turn the ball over.

They play again on Saturday night against the New York Jets before closing out their preseason next Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.

More Cleveland Browns news and analysis