The Cleveland Browns are nearing a situation that they haven’t experienced in years: they are nearing a possibility of giving a contract extension to a quarterback. While it comes as no surprise to Browns fans that the team has had a revolving door at the position since coming back in 1999. Although, times have changed since 2018 when the team drafted what looks like their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield. It should be noted that this is the first time since Bernie Kosar that Browns fans feel good about the position. Baker Mayfield since joining the Cleveland Browns has made a case why he is the team’s franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, people will bring up the 2019 season under former head coach Freddie Kitchens but take that with a grain of salt. There was a variety of mishaps that season that was not in Mayfield’s control. Let us dive into why Baker Mayfled deserves that contract extension.
Baker Mayfield’s Stats Speak for Themselves
The three quarterbacks that will be compared too as to why for the extension are Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar, and Baker Mayfield. One of the things to keep in mind that the comparisons will be during three years of all three guys playing in 12+ games. (Disclaimer: stats go from the first year to the last year in descending order)
| Games | Attempts | Completetions | Percent | Yards | Average | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Rating | |
| Brian Sipe (1978-1980) | 16 16 16 | 399 535 554 | 222 286 337 | 55.64 53.46 60.83 | 2,906 3,793 4,132 | 7.3 7.1 7.5 | 21 28 30 | 15 26 14 | 80.7 73.4 91.4 |
| Bernie Kosar (1985-1987) | 12 16 12 | 248 531 389 | 124 310 241 | 50 58.38 61.95 | 1,578 3,854 3,033 | 6.4 7.3 7.8 | 8 17 22 | 7 10 9 | 69.3 83.8 95.4 |
| Baker Mayfield (2018-2020) | 14 16 16 | 486 534 486 | 310 317 305 | 63.79 59.36 62.76 | 3,725 3,827 3,563 | 7.7 7.2 7.3 | 27 22 26 | 14 21 8 | 93.7 78.8 95.9 |
Just by looking at the stats alone, Baker Mayfield has had a solid three-year stretch between the three quarterbacks since the 1970s. Granted, football has been different in each era but it still stands to reason that Mayfield has had a great start to his career. During the 2020 NFL season, CBS Sports, Fox, and countless other sports media outlets showed that Mayfield was ranked third or better in every Quarterback category for the Cleveland Browns in his first three seasons. Furthermore, Mayfield’s Quarterback rating over the three years gives a clear indication that he can be reliable to lead the offense. When looking at the 2020 season, Mayfield had his best season when it comes to touchdown to interception stats. He threw for 26 touchdowns compared to only eight interceptions. That was his first season with single digits in the INT category.
Baker Mayfield Overcoming Coaching Carousel
One cannot overlook that Mayfield has had four different head coaches, and three offensive coordinators since joining the league. Although 2019 was a struggle, he did have a decent season all things considered. But, people cannot use that season against him to discredit him as a solid franchise Quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Baker Mayfield is the 10th best Quarterback going into the 2021 season after leading the team to a 12-6 season with an AFC Division appearance and their first playoff win since 1994.
Baker Mayfield is the Cleveland Browns Franchise Quarterback
Also, let’s not forget that the Cleveland Browns picked up Mayfield’s fifth-year player option that will have him in Cleveland for two more seasons (which does give the team more time to finalize a deal). The Browns have been looking for a quarterback that they can build off of, and they have in one Baker Mayfield. There is no reason to move on from a guy that has captivated a city along with helping to bring the success that he has. Baker Mayfield has won the most games for any Quarterback (25) since the Bernie Kosar days.
Finally, when it comes down to it; Mayfield has shut the revolving door that is the Quarterback situation in Cleveland. He has clearly shown that he is the guy the team, and the city, needs to lead the Browns. In addition, people have been clamoring for a quarterback that is capable of leading this team and producing year in, and year out. When it comes down to it, the Cleveland Browns have their guy to build a franchise around for 10 or more year; and his name is Baker Mayfield.
My name is Zach Martin, and I am the Cleveland Browns beat writer for Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Football. Follow me on Twitter for the most up-to-date Blackhawks content and news (twitter.com/CLEZach). I’m a co-host on a hockey podcast, Cannons & Tomahawks, that talks about all things NHL. Furthermore, I’m a host of the Cleveland Browns Podcast, Bless ‘Em Browns, which covers everything Cleveland Browns football.
