DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum More Baker... the slow trek to the end

Picking up from the last thread (and my hope is that the majority of this thread is used to discussed particulars of the trade that gets him off the roster, his new team, etc).

I think the league knows that the Browns are between a rock and a hard place. I think Berry doesn't want to get taken advantage of and cave to pressure. I do think Baker is better than the QBs I mentioned in the last thread that found homes. I don't think Baker is so bad that nobody will sign him, but he's clearly not all that and a bag of chips.

I really don't understand the lack of interest in Baker...

Maybe it's just me - it seems that the position the Browns put themselves in with Baker is just one more opportunity for some posters to pile on Baker. It's being used as a "Baker's so crap no-one in the entire NFL wants him" - when there are in fact many factors at play, not the least is there being very few teams (possibly only 1 if Seattle pick Willis at the top of the 2nd) looking at QB and everyone knowing the Browns simply have to move on.

With regard to possible trades ... if Pete Carroll doesn't want to groom a rookie QB who needs at least a season, I could see Seattle being our best option for a trade. I'd think their 4th pick is the floor. I'd like to see some sort of conditional pick - 3,500 yards or 15 games started ... and a pick next year.

For whatever reason, the lack of interest is real. If a team thought he was a quality-level starter, or even a significant upgrade over their current QB, then there would have already been interest. $19M salary is not too much for someone who is considered a quality-level starter.

I think the key question is whether or not one thinks that magical 8-game stretch in 2020 is an outlier, or an indication that he turned the corner. Even with that stretch where he was a top-5 QB his numbers for the whole of 2020 are average at best (#34 in the NFL in completion % for QBs with 100+ attempts; #18 in rating). Those other 8 games had to be pretty bad. That was his best season in rating. Highest he has finished in completion percentage is #26. And he has thrown more picks over the last 4 years than any other QB in the league.

Baker was our QB when the team moved from the bottom of the league into the middle of the pack, and I think a lot of people are enamored with him because of that. And the spunk, the fire, the swagger. Having a bunch of fans be enamored with him is not going to help him, he needs an NFL team to be enamored with him. They couldn't care less about the swagger and all, they need results. The other teams have no emotional investment in him because they did not draft him.

I have no idea of his worth but it does not look like we can expect to get much from him at this point. This is a good season for him to be in this spot because this draft is weak in QB. But nothing yet.

Never cared for the pick. Never saw 1st round talent in him. Never dreamt of him as a franchise QB. Decent guy with a lot of courage. I wish him well someplace other than Cleveland.

My favorite Baker moment was during an interview when he was asked what he learned in college that will help him in the pros.

His reply?
"Don't run from the cops"

I think today is a pretty likely day for a Baker trade.

Shake and Bake need a commercial about handing of keys

I hope you are right. It will be nice to not have to read about how bad his supporting cast is, what a terrible coach Stefanski is, and all the other excuses that are trotted out there on a consistent basis.

Same - hoping if Seattle wants a QB in this draft that they don't get him...

Baker getting traded won't stop that. Sheesh.

Day 3. Browns get a 6th and eat $8M of his salary.

Sold, you got yourself a new QB.

If we eat salary we better get more than that. I’d rather just hold on to him and hope for the best at that point.

The QBs falling actually hurts us because teams like the Seahawks and Panthers get a second crack at them.

j/c

I find it amazing that many of the same people who lambasted Colin Cowherd for his comments about Baker now suddenly sound just like him.

I get we have rivalries/grudges on here, but I have WAY more respect for everyone on here than I do Cowherd. That's a low blow.

I can only speak for myself. I absolutely hate it how people like to play amateur psychologist and talk about what players are thinking, how much heart they have and whatnot... but the way Baker handled himself vs the other 2 vet QBs in similar situation showed me a LOT. I do still think that he's going to find some measure of success in this league.

I didn't point to you specifically. But if you can't read these Baker threads and easily see some of the similarities in a lot of the posts, I can't help you. They are certainly contained in these threads. Certain poster much more than others.

Maybe the more of Bakers salary we are willing to pay the higher the draft pick we'll be able to get. Still, I don't see us getting anything higher than a 4th.

I'm 100% certain that the poster who has mentioned "how bad his supporting cast is, what a terrible coach Stefanski is, and all the other excuses" more than any other poster in the last few weeks is none other than the only person to mention it in this thread also.

Did I forget a winky thing?

Agreed. Worse comes to worst we hold on to him the whole year and he is inactivated. Then we get a comp pick when he signs with someone else as a free agent.

This seems to be one likely plan.

I wonder if the NFL would massage their hidden and known only to them formula to preclude this outcome, cause they can bat rastards.

I never pass up an opportunity to say something about Cowherd. I also didn't take it personal.

Much like I will never pass up the opportunity to point out how we have posters on this board who knocked Cowherd every time he put down Baker to now mirroring some of his comments. I'm glad you didn't take it personal. That was not my intent. When you said, "That's a low blow" it just made me wonder. I will repeat, there are some people making comments that sound very much like Cowherd.

My daughter is almost 2 weeks old, so I am kinda in a perpetual state of cranky right now. My bad on making it sound confrontational.


I dunno.... Maybe it's because I'm one of those people changing their tune, but I think how Baker handled the end of the season and the off-season was the final push I needed to put everything before in a different perspective. I had a harder time with folks that turned on him earlier in the season after the injury when he started to not play well, plus all the drama that seemed to never fully die.

Congrats!

No sleep 'til June! lol

I think there are a multitude of reasons why he hasn't been traded for. He's not very good and he has been said to be abrasive and immature. He has used excuses for his issues. The social media history and podcast thing are off-putting. Trashing teammates and coaches is not a good look. His contract is an issue because while $18.9 million is not all that expensive, he will be up for a new deal the following year. I think the public exchange of the team wanting an adult in the room and Baker saying it was best for both parties to part ways muddied the waters. A couple of teams like Washington traded for QBs prior to this, but guys like Matt Ryan, Mariotta, and Winston were either signed or traded for afterwards. Teams probably want the Browns to pay part of his salary. At the end of the day, I believe a lot of teams are wondering if it worth the risk to acquire a guy w/questions about his ability and character. Bringing him into your locker room is questionable.

Agreed, they are at it once again.

Having Baker around the team and facility all year seems like a massive mistake just to save a few milly in cap space the Browns don't even need this year. It would be a constant distraction.

No chance this happens. I'd say he's gone no later than mandatory mini-camp in June.

June 2045

He certainly could have handled all of that better. I think the entire letter thing way way overblown. It's not like he was railing on anyone. But the podcast was ridiculous. I'm one who was worried about his immaturity when the pick was made. I got lambasted for it and told it was because I was an OSU homer. I was told the exact same thing not long ago. But for a very long time there seemed to be no character issues with him and I gave him credit for that as well. mgh and I had lengthy discussions about how much Baker's injury impacted his play. Not so much from the perspective of mobility and accuracy but why he was missing so many WR's. It was more in line with what all parts of his game were impacted due to his injury and which ones weren't.

So I've certainly had my fair share of questions about Baker over the years. What I did was take Baker's performance before the injury and compare it to after the injury. 2020 was Stefanski's first year here. Yet another new system for Baker to learn. By the second half of the first season in that system Baker was performing well. Quite well in fact. In the first game against Kansas City before the injury he played really well. It looked as if Baker was on track. Then the injury hit.

What I find is often the case is that if you question anything about a player or coach people label it as placing all of the blame on that person or player. As attacking them. You see it in this very thread. The HC has the final say on the starting roster. That responsibility lies directly on his plate. So I certainly questioned Stefanski continuing to start Baker after the injury. But I think Stefnaski is a great HC. It's not an all or nothing proposition. But even in questioning that I'm not conducting practice with these guys. What ever the coaching staff was seeing, they obviously felt an injured Baker gave them a better chance of winning that a healthy Keenum or Keenum would have been starting during Baker's injury. All the BS about Baker forcing Stefanski to start him is just that, made up BS.

And everyone knew at the very least after OBJ left we only had one WR on the roster that would be a starter on any other NFL team and that was Jarvis. Trying to rewrite that history is pure agenda.

To me it's am mixed bag. I certainly understand why from an on the field aspect the Browns traded for watson. He definitely is the superior QB on the field and especially in the AFC you need a very dynamic QB to be in contention to reach a SB. And with him signed long term you will have a chance for several years to come. But why some feel the need to be so one sided and attack the same QB they supported a very short time ago seems pointless and crazy to me.

If people keep saying we should not discuss off the field issues with one QB and how that doesn't really belong in Pure football, why do they insist in doing the exact same thing about the other one?

My guess is that they’d pay him to stay home.

A very educated guess if he remains under contract with the Browns. Anything else would be a massive media distraction and a very stupid thing for this FO to do. Surely people have to think they are smarter than that.

Yesterday or maybe the day before, I had one of the shows on ESPN and they were discussing Baker. Their "insider" once again brought up how the Browns might have to include a draft pick and pay part of his salary just to trade him. I heard something like that before. I just searched real quick and here is an article along the same lines. Not sure how reputable this site is, but I truly hope it doesn't come down to that.




https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...o_trade_baker_mayfield/s1_13132_37440848

Baker would not play nice in the situation and would show up and make things uncomfortable. He's getting his money either way and he'll want a chance to play this year and earn another contract for his future. CBA won't let the Browns just lock him out of the facility.

I'll live stream myself pulling a Vinny van Gogh on my ear should it reach this point.

His salary and trade compensation is why there is little interest at this point. But I'd say there is more than a fair chance he goes tonight, or over the weekend. Berry will eat some of his salary to move him for a third next year.

I keep reading complaints about how "som,e people criticize" Baker's supporting cast, and while I admit that Baker's attitude and injuries played a huge part in last season's disappointing season, to say that we had a great supporting cast might be overstatement. From last year we have released/cut/allowed to leave without trying to re-sign them, 4 of our top 5 WR, our FB, starting Center, and our starting TE. (and our top 2 QB)

That is an indictment on the whole starting group, with only a few exceptions

I can't wait when there are no more Baker threads. Geez...

Maybe Carolina will end this misery.

I agree that it won’t get to that point. My guess is that he’s traded to the Panthers today or tomorrow for a conditional 2023 pick.

A long shot but with the Giants declining Daniel Jones 5th year option, could Baker be traded for their pick at #36? We would have to pick up a chunk of Baker's salary and possibly an exchange of later picks....