DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Baker Mayfield 3.0

j/c:



I know it wasn't his throwing arm, but this seems a bit early to be hurling the ball around.

I wonder if he's been cleared medically to begin throwing. Void his contract!

we will need baker now that this attorney is grandstanding watson

Baker showed that he can be much better than average, problem was that he was very inconsistent. I wrote that off to the coaching carousel his first few years and his injury last year. I'm surprised by the very cold market for his services. Leads me to believe that there is something out there, beyond just his ability on the field, that is making other teams cautious. I would have thought $18 million for a one year check-and-see deal would be attractive to a number of teams but apparently, I was wrong. This has to be very humbling for him and maybe that's a good thing. Also has to be frustrating because of his surgery, there isn't a lot physically that he can work on. I still believe he will be on a roster next year and that at some point in the next year or two, he will get another shot to be a starter somewhere, even if it's in a fill-in capacity and he will have a chance to prove himself. He will either use this experience as a reason to get salty or he will use it as motivation to improve... up to him.

I have no idea as to whether he's been cleared to throw or not. But one would have to think that being cleared to throw the ball would have a much lower threshold than being cleared to play in a game.

delete

He's working with Patrick Mahome's QB instructor, so I'm sure they're sensitive to the amount of work he's doing.

Baker to Tampa might be interesting.

No one is taking Baker’s contract to be a backup.

The only way is if the Browns pay for a portion of it, which I don't think they want to do, obviously.

we still have a few that we can redo the contracts to get some cap relief... Not sure if it's enough.... But good question.

Not if he holds out.. then he gets nothing.

But, if he's traded, i doubt any team will take the full hit, so we'll have to pick up something. not sure how much.

j/c:

A few more thoughts:

--I read somewhere about whether or not people would want Baker traded to the Steelers. I would do it in a minute. I don't think they would make that move. Much of my family [wife's side] and friends are Steeler fans. They don't want Baker. They see him for what he is. Ryan Clark, the former Steeler was on TV the other day and he said he would not want Baker either.


--There is talk about Baker going to another team and competing w/the likes of guys like Drew Locke and Mariotta. I don't think Baker could handle that. He needs a reality check of just what the league thinks of him. He is not the player/teammate that he and his fans think he is.

--The fact that Houston would not want him in a trade when Davis Mills is their QB is very telling. Think about that for a moment...

YES! The fact that Houston didn't want Baker in the trade is very telling to me. The league does not view Baker in the same light many on here do, it is obvious with the trade and lack of desire to trade for him now that he is openly available. I was one that had high hopes for Baker making it here. His attitude and desire for attention quickly became old though. He is not mature enough to handle being a franchise QB.

I think there is a fair chance that Houston do not believe Mills is better than Baker ... and they chose not to take baker because either and possibly both: [1] The Browns wanted a 1 or the equivalent of a 2nd round pick in return. [2] Houston wants to try really really hard and complete this year, but ultimately lose a lot and be sure to have the top pick in next year when there is a lot of very good QB going to be entering the draft.

I see where you are going with this, but it validates what I was saying about Baker not being as good as some think he is. Houston easily could have negotiated Baker in this deal, maybe even for one less 3rd or 4th. Why risk wasting a 1 on someone that has already proven himself if he really has? Know what I mean?

Houston not wanting Baker makes perfect sense. The Texans are bad. If they traded for Rogers, Brady, Mahomes ... they aren't making the playoffs. They want to be bad this year. So bad that they have a top 2 pick so they can draft CJ Stround or Bryce Young. The get their franchise Qb going forward and can start buiding up around him.

The worse thing they could do would be to bring in a Qb that would win 6-8 games.

QBs choosen in the 1st RD of the NFL have high failure rates. The Browns of all
Franchises should know. Couch, Phipps, Manziel, Weeden, Quinn,
Daniel Jones is bust. Jamarcus Russell, Heath Shuler, ...The list goes on.
Mayfield you can include in that long list of 1st RD QBs who failed to meet front office
Expectations.
I dont think Mayfield attempting to play through his injury was best for the team
I.rather think it was a sign of Bakers ego or insecurities working overtime.
Did he really believe him at 80% was better than a Keenum at 100%?
But nope Mayfield had to attempt to live up to those narratives created by the
Draft gurus.....tough as nails...chip on shoulder..etc etc
When the Browns front office said they need a adult at QB, that really affirmed
What the Browns and the NFL thinks of Mayfield.
He simply is not a leader. He creates locker room division.
And like Watson he has had multiple female encounters as a pro QB.

While drafting a QB in round 1 might be risky and you can point to lots of busts... The success rate gets worse rhe later you draft. It doesn't even make sense to think you can reliably pick up a FQB in later rounds.

I haven't seen anywhere that we offered Baker in the trade with Houston. Now it could be that we offered Baker in exchange for some of those draft picks and Houston preferred the draft picks. But then we paid 16 mil for a second round pick so if that is any indication of how the NFL values draft picks, that speaks volumes. You are also one who believes, as I do, that sometimes teams will tank a season to get a high pick with which to draft a QB. They will stockpile draft picks for a rebuild. It could easily be that the Texans have decided that is their plan moving forward with what appears to be a strong QB draft class next year.

There are more credible scenarios than the one you describe.

I think the Texans really like Davis Mills.

I mentioned this last week. We know Arians likes him. I think it comes down to how much they like Kyle Trask and how much we're willing to pay of his salary (50% should do it from a cap perspective).

For the Browns, 9+M in dead cap and a draft pick is better than 18+m.

I'd assume that Mills cap hit is tiny compared to Baker's, sour they're stocking up on draft picks they're probably also rolling over cap. Not having Baker helps with both.

You really can't put Baker in the pantheon of first-round busts. Not fair at all, IMO. He had two very, very good seasons out of four, including what was then arguably the best rookie year any QB ever had. His second year was bad, but not horrible. And last year was a dumpster fire for the reasons we all know. He ran his course here and maybe sometimes his attitude was off, but he has not been a bust. And I could easily see him getting healthy and being a top 15 quarterback in the NFL.

I agree 100%.

Now I think Baker's immaturity has surfaced this year regards his stubbornness to keep playing, regards the social media stuff outside of football and with the handling of the offseason. I get that he's a passionate guy and fiery as someone else put it - but at some point you are hurting your team, yourself and your brand - Baker is wayyyy past that line. But to your point - he's performed very well as a rookie. He was a disaster with Kitchens. And after a rocky start he finished oh-so-strong in his first year with KS. He'll be a starter somewhere and probably show flashes of brilliance and flashes of bad. But in no way would I call him a bust. . . . 20 years of crapola and Baker took us from 1-31 to competing and winning a playoff game. He isn't perfect but he's not a bust.

I agree. Baker isn't a bust. Ryan Leif was a bust.

If Baker had been drafted even 8 picks later, the narrative would be very different. I think with a new start, he can turn it around.

J/c

I don't know about Baker. He has the physical talent. But I'm not sure he's shown the necessary development in processing and recognition. Opponents kind of figured him out. Can he evolve? That's the 18 million dollar question.

I agree KS is kinda predictable

It's not Stefanski's playcalling's fault Baker couldn't find the numerous open receivers when his initial read was covered or he just flat out misread the defense.

Kash, the Texans would not have had to spend draft capital on Baker. He could have been included in the Watson deal had Houston wanted him. If a good qb is available, you trade for him. There are a lot of Baker fans who are in denial and still can't admit they were wrong about Baker. Hell, who cares if you were wrong about a qb in college? NFL teams have a hard time identifying collegiate qbs.

Last year at this time, folks were saying they wouldn't trade Baker for any qb in the league. This year, the league has shown that there is very little interest in Baker and his fans are still trying to deny it and fabricating excuses as to why Baker wasn't wanted in Cleveland and why teams are not trading for him. Teams will trade for you or sign you if you can ball. We are seeing that first hand w/so many teams who went after Watson.

Its so.funny how some on here acted like if the Browns moved on from Baker
It would be another 20 years before they landed another "franchise" QB.
Well they just landed one in a Watson.
If you made a list of the most over rated Browns since the return, Baker makes
The top 5 easily.

You and that statement are just ridiculous. You have no reason to hate Baker, that you didn't create in your own little mind, all by yourself.

Baker can ball IF things are good, agree it shows Baker's current worth where nearly all QB needy teams have gone in other directions. I wonder if poor Baker decides to sit for a year and collect 18 million, darn, tough life....OR does he restructure his deal so he can play this year somewhere MAYBE. Time will tell....GO Browns!!!

When was it exactly that "things were good".

Coming to a team that won (4) games in THREE YEARS prior to drafting him?

Rookie year with the absolute worst head coach in the history of the NFL?

Playing for a new head coach who was canned about ten minutes after his first-and-only season?

Playing for another rookie head coach under COVID madness and winning a playoff game IN PITTSBURG while throwing to the mercurial Higgins, developmental DPJ and Juice with a marginal billion $$$ TE we just cut?

Or was it playing lights out in game (1) of year (4) only to destroy his non-throwing shoulder after (5) quarters of play? Maybe it was when Hudson was on an island with Watt...when he should have been on an island with Gilligan.

Baker didn't play well last year...when everything was the exact opposite of good.

That "narrative" is as ridiculous as the 4th Q comeback BS. He's gone now...it's for the better...but for the wrong reasons.

Things are good....meaning a nice pocket or he's rolled out with no one chasing him. JMHO, Baker DID NOT live up to NUMBER ONE selection. He's an average NFL QB who has overachieved with his limited athletic ability. We will see what an athletic QB and person dedicated to his craft can do. I find it interesting Baker's working hard on his footwork and throwing motion in Texas.....things the staff in Cleveland have tried to fix for years. His current availability speaks VOLUMES....GO Browns!!!

Not one person on this board - with the possible exception of GM - has ANY idea what Baker actually did/does work on in the off-season(s). More Baker bashing with absolutely ZERO proof. Perhaps his current availability is due to the Browns shooting themselves in the foot with how they handled the situation? Anyone with a pulse knows that the Browns have ZERO leverage in moving Baker after the way they went about this...they got there guy no doubt...and the cost for that guy is going to include eating some of Baker's contract PLUS likely a draft pick.