Browns teammates praise 'tough' QB Baker Mayfield
Much has been said and written over the past week about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who first injured his non-throwing shoulder during the Week 2 win over the Houston Texans on Sept. 19 and spent the second half of what became a disappointing season struggling to play through a torn labrum and fractured bone at the top of the humerus that will require him to undergo surgery.
The Browns shut Mayfield down ahead of Sunday's campaign-closing home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and running back Nick Chubb and offensive guard Wyatt Teller were among teammates who praised the "tough" signal-caller while speaking with media members on Monday:
Mayfield did what he could Thursday to deny a report he may ask for a trade this offseason if he "doesn’t get assurances that things will change next season" regarding his working relationship with head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski commented before the weekend he is on "good" terms with the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
A report then surfaced ahead of Sunday's NFL action that Mayfield, who is set to spend the 2022 season with the Browns via the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract worth $18.858 million, will remain Cleveland's QB1 for the foreseeable future. Previously, the Browns had been linked with veterans such as Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo in trade rumors, but there remain plenty of questions about if any of them will be available before or after this year's draft.
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