Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is playing for a contract extension
Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns have not engaged in any talk of a contract extension this offseason, per Cleveland.com. Instead, the former Oklahoma quarterback is betting on himself to perform at a high level and earn a bigger extension next offseason.
The Browns are coming off of an 11-5 season and advanced to the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs. They lost in a close game against the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-17. Many believe the team enters this season with an opportunity to make the Super Bowl, thanks to Mayfield and the electric offense.
With receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. as well as running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Mayfield has playmakers all around him.
The move is strategic on both sides. It gives the Browns more time to evaluate Mayfield’s talent before pulling the trigger on a huge deal. However, if Mayfield delivers and takes the Browns deep in the playoffs, he will have more room to negotiate.
Josh Allen, drafted the same year as Mayfield, signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills this offseason that projects to be worth more than $43 million per year. The other notable quarterback in that class, Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, has also yet to sign his extension.
Mayfield is already signed for the 2022 season at $18.8 million. He becomes a free agent the following year.
He threw for 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns. He finished with only eight interceptions, the lowest total in his three seasons.
Mayfield has always been one to believe he can do anything. A former walk-on at Texas Tech, he lost the starting job to Davis Webb after an injury in 2013. Undeterred, he transferred to Oklahoma and eventually took over and won the Heisman Trophy.
The Browns selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 and he still had plenty of chance to live up to that potential.
Cleveland kicks off its season Sunday with a huge game against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Baker Mayfield can outduel Patrick Mahomes, it would go a long way in his quest for a contract extension.