Baker Mayfield Had Blunt Evaluation of One Big Decision During Final Year With Browns

With the benefit of hindsight, Mayfield revealed he thinks he should have undergone surgery in 2021.

Jan 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) warms up before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

It's been quite a journey for Baker Mayfield these past few years, but he's finally found a home in Tampa Bay and proved it by signing a three-year deal worth $100 million with the Buccaneers earlier this offseason. It was a remarkable moment for Mayfield considering he had been traded and cut before hitting the free agent market last offseason and was forced to settle for a one-year prove-it deal. But prove it he did, and now Mayfield is firmly entrenched as Tom Brady's successor in Florida.

If anything it certainly gives Mayfield a lot to reflect on, given he went from franchise savior to wandering journeyman to solid veteran in a rather short span of time. This week he was looking back on his 2021 season with the Cleveland Browns on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take and had a fairly blunt assessment of one particular decision he made during his final campaign in Cleveland.

Mayfield struggled mightily that year, going 6-8 in 14 starts while throwing only 17 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions. Early on, it was revealed Mayfield was battling through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. As the season progressed it became painfully obvious the quarterback was not 100% healthy but he didn't undergo surgery until after the Browns were eliminated from postseason contention.

On the podcast, Mayfield acknowledged that, looking back, he absolutely should have undergone surgery and he was being a "stubborn a--hole" about it.

"The last year in Cleveland, as banged up as I was... Should I have probably gotten surgery and sat out? Yeah, probably," Mayfield said. "But I wouldn't change it. It got me to this point and I learned a lot of lessons about, quite honestly, how damn stubborn I am."

"So many things and factors," Mayfield continued, "And like I said, hindsight is 20-20, but, you know, stubborn a--hole."

It is a fascinating alternate reality to consider. Heading into the 2021 season Mayfield was bordering on cult hero status in Cleveland after surviving multiple head coaching changes to lead the Browns to their first playoff win in decades. Then the vibes turned out so horrendous that the team traded for Deshaun Watson after the 2021 season, leading to Mayfield's trade to the Carolina Panthers and eventual landing spot in Tampa Bay after a stop with the Rams in Los Angeles.

If Mayfield had gotten surgery in the first month of 2021, would the Browns still have traded for Watson? Would they have ended up with a high draft pick and chose to build around Mayfield instead? If so, where do the Bucs turn to replace Brady? Things would look different, and maybe a lot different, for multiple teams if Mayfield didn't try to gut it out.

But he did, and now he's in Tampa Bay with an organization happy to have his talents.

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