Irreconcilable Differences Between Browns, Mayfield? Hardly
With his season officially over and his surgery being scheduled for January 19th, the best thing quarterback Baker Mayfield can do right now is take a second and breathe. Mayfield can't do anything other than work on himself for the next four to six months, which is exactly what he should do.
Making a rash career decision that won't come to pass until his shoulder is cleared by doctors is something he would come to regret. Whatever else Mayfield may be, he's not stupid.
A disappointing season impacted by injuries, which expended ample physical and mental energy just to practice only to perform poorly in games, then be blamed for the team's failure as well as mocked would make anyone defensive.
Mayfield was supposed to be a top 10 quarterback this year. The Browns were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. The second his shoulder dislocated against the Houston Texans the second week of the season, neither of those things were realistic
Doing everything in his power in an attempt to defy that reality only to fall short, often making things worse is soul crushing. It breeds contempt. Looking for something, anything else to blame, which occasionally included head coach Kevin Stefanski is only human. It's hardly grounds for an imminent divorce.
Losing sucks. Even in a sport and a league where parity is engineered, winning is the expectation. It's akin to breathing. When you lose, you question everything including yourself. It's agony.
Viewing Mayfield through that lens, it's easier to understand his frustration. At times, that frustration has come out in press conferences questioning Stefanski's decisions or his playcalling, although a quarterback complaining a head coach is too conservative as Mayfield did after their win against the Baltimore Ravens doesn't strike me as calling anyone out.
I want a quarterback who believes he can go out and win the game with the ball in his hands and a head coach who understands when it's appropriate to let them.
More importantly, Stefanski understands Mayfield's resentment. Emotional maturity is one of the attributes that became apparent when Stefanski took the Browns head coaching job. In his first offseason when everything was virtual and the ability to practice was limited, Stefanski invested time and energy in not only getting to know his players, but having them get to know each other.
Plenty of coaches are emotional, downright childish in how they act and will hold grudges against players out of ego and insecurity. The names Mike Martz and Kyle Turley immediately come to mind.
As much as Stefanski may not love players popping off to the media after a game, none of it has been beyond the pale. The coaching staff is made up of adults who can take the occasional complaint in the heat of the moment from competitors who want to win.
Myles Garrett asserted the defense didn't adjust against the New England Patriots when they scored 45 points against the Browns. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods let it roll off his back, never feeling the need to go make an issue of it with Garrett. The six games since, the defense has allowed a total of 114 points. Evidently, something got worked out.
Mayfield being defensive when he hasn't had time to process the season, the literal wounds are still fresh, is hardly a problem. In a month or two as he's starting to feel like himself is when he needs to be more introspective and start to look at where he went wrong, how he exacerbated the offense's problems.
Being endlessly stubborn has been part of what has enabled Mayfield to reach the level of success he's had. Proving doubters wrong has provided fuel that resulted with Mayfield being the first ever walk-on to win the Heisman Trophy and setting the record for the most efficient passing season in college football history twice. Just as he did with a busted shoulder, knee and foot injuries, Mayfield is going to compete to the bitter end.
That same stubbornness could also be what limits what Mayfield can achieve in the NFL. Stefanski doesn't doubt Mayfield. He not only believes in him, but he's been an ardent advocate. He's an excellent fit as a coach for him.
Mayfield isn't always going to like a coach who is challenging him to improve or protecting from himself, but he can certainly appreciate how successful he and Stefanski have demonstrated they can be together.
If Mayfield wants more wide receivers on the field for example, the Browns look poised to overhaul the position and that could provide him an arsenal that compliments his talent. He can raise other questions he has with the offense through the offseason, creating a productive dialogue that allows not only agency but validation.
Nothing about Stefanski comes off as someone who's going to stonewall any of his players, especially his quarterback. Further, he doesn't look like someone who's going to claim he has all the answers. He's going to be intellectually curious and seek ways to continue to improve and evolve. Having a 39-year old head coach is benefit to Mayfield for that exact reason.
I don't expect Mayfield to be happy with his situation right now. It would be weird if he was. That doesn't change the reality that the best path forward for both Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns is with him as the team's starting quarterback in 2022.
