Baker Mayfield silenced a lot of doubters after an impressive 3rd season as the Browns QB1. But there are still people that don’t believe in the OU alum but Mayfield is not buying into the hate.
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Mayfield’s career has been a rollercoaster. He set the record for touchdowns by a rookie QB but then had a disappointing sophomore season, throwing 21 interceptions. However, he bounced back with a solid season in 2020.
Mayfield finished his third NFL season with 3,563 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He had the Browns just a few plays away from clinching a spot in the AFC Championship.
Baker Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff win since 1994. Despite his success, however, the former 1st overall pick was mentioned in hypothetical trade talks for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. But the team and GM Andrew Berry were quick to shut the rumours down. And then the organization put their money where their mouth is after deciding to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, which currently has an $18.8 million price tag.
Baker Mayfield says he doesn’t care what the doubters say about his contract situation
For the first time in his NFL career, Mayfield is heading into a new season with the same head coach as the previous year: Kevin Stefanski. So the expectations are higher for the team and the QB this season. And despite the critics, Mayfield isn’t worried about those who doubt him or say that he’s not worthy of a big new contract.
“I don’t care what the doubters say,” Mayfield said. “You have to have self-confidence. You have to trust the people in your corner. It goes along with setting expectations. You set your own. You live up to that standard. You have to hold yourself accountable to that every day. That’s the key to it. If you get caught up on the outside and listen to the B.S., then I’d probably be done. So I just focus on me and get better every day.”
His level of familiarity with the coaching staff and his reloaded roster of offensive weapons should have him primed for an even more solid season in 2021.
“That makes life a whole lot easier right now,” Mayfield said of his returning teammates. “We’re trying things that are pretty challenging offensively — how we want to run routes, certain looks and formationally how we’re setting things up. So we’re trying to challenge ourselves each practice. Our guys are handling it correctly, and we’re just getting better.”
Baker Mayfield looks to have made steady progress in the offseason. With a solid offensive system that highlights his strengths and limits his weaknesses, we could see him take another big step forward in 2021.
