NFL Insider’s Notebook: Check Out All Browns Picks Related to Baker Mayfield, Plus Week 13 Picks

NS Cleveland Browns enter their bye week 6-6 with a 30-point foul over the past three weeks and their playoff wick is burning fast because of it.

The next five weeks will be a long way in determining the long-term future of the Cleveland quarterback. Correct, Baker Mayfield pegged the fifth year option for 2022 at $18.86 million and the chances are high that at this point he will be back at least 2022.

“I think with Baker, especially from a long-term perspective, you really try and have a big visionary approach,” said general manager and executive vice president of football operations Andrew Berry. told Cleveland reporters this week. “Really with any player, it’s about (the process of) working over the years and also depending on the environmental context or the particular individual’s circumstances. We’ve seen Baker play a lot of ball stuff. good football here We’ve seen Baker play good football season season I know he’s excited and we’re excited for the opportunity ahead We expect him to play good football your best for the next five weeks.”

But the Browns, who have worked so hard under Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski to rise from their past, are nearing the end of QB purgatory with a poor five-game finish against Mayfield. They have options, but are there any viable options?

Option 1: Mayfield turns his season around, rallying some momentum to win the game, the Browns make it to the knockout stages and he’s rewarded with a long-term contract.

This is the best case scenario for Mayfield. It is also one of the least realistic scenarios. Mayfield is yet to win this season after having seven of the previous three. But also … you are not reading this article for “Browns win the .” Super Bowl behind the MVP Mayfield option.” And so on.

Option 2: Keep Mayfield in the fifth year option and let him prove it in 2022.

What are these Buccaneers did with James Winston in 2019. He didn’t do enough in four years to secure a long-term contract, and so the team asked him to prove it in his fifth pick and he threw 30 interceptions.

Mayfield and the Browns never ended up extending their contracts during the season despite reports to the contrary. The Browns wanted to see more of him, but they didn’t. Maybe that light switch turned on in 5th grade, or maybe he was just himself. But giving him another year when he’s already secured nearly $19 million isn’t the worst idea.

The point here is that you’re still in limbo for another year. So, do the free agents want to come to Cleveland with the most important position in the sports world? Is Mayfield unhappy, then, because the team is not committed to him?

Option 3: Sign the quartet behind.

Sounds simple right? Get a veteran midfielder who will be better than Mayfield and keep or trade Mayfield.

Okay, who are you going to get? A midfield player is a bridge for a reason. In his best day, Mayfield will most likely outshine that full-back. And the QB demand is likely to be inconsistent, if not more so than Mayfield.

Option 3 is tied to Option 1 as being the least likely picks for Cleveland.

Option 4: Stand still in the free agency, trade Mayfield before the draft and use the capital to draft your rookie quarterback.

This option has a lot of hope and contingencies involved. The Browns will need to be good with going into 2022 with Mayfield by standing in free agency. They then need to watch the QB market play out in March and April and hope for a team in need of a midfielder ready to take on Mayfield in a similar way to the Sam Darold-to-Carolina trade.

The Browns can then use those draft picks to climb in the draft area and get their boy. Of course, this is a weak QB class and there’s no guarantee your guy will be there if you can’t make the top 5 or 10 of the draft.

A risky choice, really.

Option 5: Spend what you have to trade off Aaron Rodgers or Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson.

It’s the option that seems to solve Cleveland’s problem here. It is also the most complex.

Does the Browns have what it takes – or rather the courage to give up what it takes – to land one of those superstar defenders in a trade? Even if you do, does the quarterback want to go to Cleveland?

Take a moment for that. Does being top of the table help or hurt the Browns’ chances of landing in that quarterback? The Browns, on the other hand, can boast the best defensive duo in the league and one of the best attacking lines in football. On the other hand, a QB star might prefer a system where he can wear it around the field. Perhaps the Browns could adjust during the season, but you could have given up the capital you do it to win quarterback.

Have Berry and Stefanski changed the perception of the franchise enough to take down a big fish? Would that player legally choose Cleveland over Denver, Pittsburgh, Miami, or other locales that might have better weather or a more recent winning history? If that player can believe he can be a LeBron James-like figure there, I can see Cleveland win.

As for experiencing Odell Beckham Jr. how does it end? Will his views on the franchise change players’ minds about joining the franchise? Perhaps, but I wanted to provide this.

It is an important tenet of the Berry regime to handle things with class and dignity there. When Beckham was making a fuss to get out – and when he finally got out – you didn’t hear anonymous sources tricking him out the door. The Browns have made it known through side channels that Beckham is a quality teammate and a dressing room guy; it just doesn’t happen.

We all see that Mayfield, who is playing with an injury, is not playing well at the moment. But no one threw him under the bus there. Berry spent much of her pre-planned goodbye press conference being too fair and praising Mayfield.

“I think we all know that Baker is physically extremely resilient,” says Berry.

“Honestly, with the offense we had, (we were) just not consistent enough in the passing game,” Berry later said. “I want to be clear here: It’s not necessarily a matter of one person or one person.”

“I think Baker has shown a lot over the past three seasons, so I don’t necessarily accept this view that there’s something in the next five games that is a particular focus,” he said. continue.

You will get points. It clearly doesn’t make sense for Berry to eliminate his back four with five games left in a hopeful season. But whether he likes it or not, he’s setting the table to show all potential future Browns how this franchise handles their guys in public. Maybe that signals something for one of the top midfielders to be available in March.

There are opportunities and potholes in every situation here for Cleveland, and the Browns are hardly in worse shape than most. NFL team. But they are close to an inflection point with midfield, and these next five games will be crucial to determining their next move.

Options for the week 13

A good and solid 10-5 week for me in Week 12. I’ll accept it. That brings my season record up to 116-63-1. Get sharper this week. I take the Cowboys on Thursday night.

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Sunday, 1 p.m
TV: CBS | Current: Paramount + (click here)

I don’t like how this Charger offense is trending right now. It will be asked OC Joe Lombardi freshman to ask Justin Herbert What are his favorite plays from Pep Hamilton’s offense last season and doing a bunch of those plays this week. I turned down the Bengals all season but they look younger since saying goodbye to Week 10.

Selection: Bengali

Sunday, 1 p.m
TV: Fox | Current: fuboTV (click here)

I went to the Ravens-Dolphins game a few weeks ago and it felt like a turning point for the most underperforming team in football. Miami’s defense is functioning at the right time with their light schedule, and Tua doesn’t make many mistakes.

Selection: Dolphin

Sunday, 4:25 pm
TV: CBS | Current: Paramount + (click here)

This game means a lot to both shows. Even though Seattle is falling, the Niners know Pete Carroll has had their number for years. No one in San Francisco takes this game lightly.

Selection: 49ers

Monday, 8:15pm
TV: ESPN | Current: fuboTV (click here)

I would love to choose Buffalo here. But I’ve seen too many inconsistent games from Josh Allen last four weeks to say that the Bills won this. Mac Jones QB is more consistent and Patriots defense is better now Bamboo’s white skin made for the season.

Selection: Patriots

Other games