The Cleveland Browns have been playing musical chairs at the quarterback position over the last 20 NFL season. Before offensive lineman Joe Thomas retired, he was able to name all of the quarterbacks he blocked for during his career. Thomas retired right before the Browns decided to draft quarterback Baker Mayfield with the number one overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft from the Oklahoma Sooners. He played for the Browns for the first four seasons in the NFL.
Cleveland decided not to bring him back after that. Ever since Mayfield left, they have struggled at the quarterback position. They tried to upgrade by trading for Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans , but that did not work out well for them. The Browns over the last 20 seasons have only won one playoff game and that was with Mayfield as the starting quarterback. They almost won a second playoff game during the 2020-2021 season. Has Mayfield been the Browns best quarterback over the last 20 seasons?
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) celebrates with defensive end Myles Garrett (95) after the Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in an NFL wild-card game Jan. 11, 2021, in Pittsburgh. Mandatory credit: Jeff Lange/Akron Beach Journal
There have been a lot of Browns quarterbacks under center over the last 20 seasons, it isn't really a debate who has been the best quarterback for this franchise over that time span. Nathan Jahnke of profootballfocus.com listed the best offensive players on the Browns roster over the last 20 seasons. He has Mayfield as the best quarterback Cleveland has had in that time span. Jahnke said , "The rest of the offense was relatively straightforward to assemble. Baker Mayfield played 3,991 snaps for Cleveland, while no other quarterback topped 1,400, and he also earned the highest PFF grade of any Browns quarterback during the PFF era. At wide receiver, Amari Cooper , Josh Gordon and Jarvis Landry stood apart from the competition. They are the franchise's only receivers with at least 2,500 receiving yards during the PFF era and the only three to earn receiving grades above 80.0."
In reality, who has been the Browns second-best quarterback after him during this time span? It is really hard to tell. Mayfield was the best quarterback the franchise has had, and they messed it all up. After he left Cleveland, Mayfield has played for the Carolina Panthers , the Los Angeles Rams , and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has played for Tampa Bay in the last three seasons and has won playoff games for them. Mayfield is in the final year of his contract with the Buccaneers. It seems as if they are far apart on contract talks.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield races Madison Jones, 5, of Avon, after training camp on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019 in Berea, Ohio. Jones' father Dale, is the strength and conditioning coach for the team. [Phil Masturzo/Beacon Journal/Ohio.com]
With Mayfield's contract set to expire, would the Browns consider bringing him back in 2027? There could be a world where Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are not the answer for this team. They move off of them both after the 2026 season. General manager Andrew Berry could consider signing Mayfield to a one-year deal and also draft a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. This would be ideal for the rookie quarterback to sit and learn for a season under the veteran before taking over the reigns.
When Mayfield played for the Browns during 2018-2021, he threw for over 3,000 yards or more all four times and threw for 20 or more touchdowns three times.
Related Headlines
