Browns QB Baker Mayfield ends social media silence
Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Baker Mayfield is back in at least one way ahead of the new NFL year that starts on March 16.
Following a rough 2021 campaign that left Mayfield needing offseason surgery to repair a serious injury to his non-throwing shoulder, the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft announced on Jan. 26 he was taking a break from his social media accounts "for the foreseeable future" after he liked a tweet sent by current Cleveland radio personality Dustin Fox that criticized the signal-caller's on-the-field performances.
However, Mayfield returned to Twitter on Tuesday to address the news that the Oklahoma Sooners will honor him with a statue shortly after their spring game held on Saturday, April 23. The 26-year-old won the Heisman Trophy for the 2017 college football season with Oklahoma:
As WKYC's Ben Axelrod noted, Mayfield also referenced the statue and event on Instagram.
By all public accounts, Mayfield will also be back with the Browns later this spring as he continues his recovery from January shoulder surgery. At the NFL Scouting Combine last week, Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry repeated previous comments and told reporters he "fully" expects Mayfield to stay with the club through the offseason, and a subsequent report said the Browns confirmed to Mayfield's representatives they have no intentions of replacing their current QB1 with a proven commodity before or after the NFL Draft.
Mayfield is on track to play on the fifth-year option attached to his rookie deal that is worth $18.858 million guaranteed.
Following the day's events, it appears neither Aaron Rodgers nor Russell Wilson would be available for the Browns if they wanted to go big-game hunting regarding the sport's most important position. It's unclear if Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson is a realistic option for Cleveland as he continues to face 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct and 10 criminal complaints.
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