Baker Mayfield

The Browns have yet to engage in negotiations with Baker Mayfield on a long-term deal. However, owner Jimmy Haslam made it clear that it’s more a matter of when, not if, Mayfield will sign an extension.

[RELATED: Browns Exercise Option On Baker Mayfield]

“We’re are all pleased to see the growth in Baker last year both as a player and as a leader,’’ Haslam said during a recent press conference (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “We all understand how important quarterback is in the NFL. We were delighted to see that.

“Baker deserves a fifth-year option, and he and Andrew [Berry] have both addressed the possibility of things after that. We’ll leave that up to Andrew to decide when that happens, but we’re well pleased with where Baker is.”

It’s a bit refreshing to see an owner defer to his general manager, but Haslam seems to be hinting that Mayfield would stick around Cleveland for the foreseeable future. There’s no real rush for the two sides to agree on a long-term pact, and it makes some sense for both sides to exercise patience. For the Browns, they can continue to evaluate the progress of the former first-overall pick, especially following a career year where Mayfield led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

For Mayfield, it makes sense to wait for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson , who could easily land a five-year deal in excess of $210MM, putting him just behind Patrick Mahomes‘ league-leading average annual value. Mayfield would command less than the Ravens QB, but Jackson’s deal could push Mayfield’s ask above $35MM/year.

For what it’s worth, Mayfield isn’t all that worried about a lack of extension, with the 26-year-old noting that he has greater priorities at the moment.

“Whatever happens, happens, but it really is out of my control at this point,” Mayfield said (via Cabot). “The fifth-year option just happened so a long-term deal is a little bit on the back burner for me. I am not worried about it. I want to go out and win games. I think everything happens for a reason so we will see what happens.”

In a relatively easy decision, the Browns chose to pick up Baker Mayfield‘s fifth-year option on Friday. However, the Browns have not rushed to kick off extension talks with the quarterback, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer hears.

[RELATED: Browns Pick Up Baker Mayfield’s Option]

“I think you know me well enough that I’m not going to talk on that in this setting. I just don’t think it’s appropriate,’’ Browns GM Andrew Berry said earlier today. “But obviously you know both of those players [Mayfield and Denzel Ward] are extension-eligible.”

It’s not necessarily a bad situation for Mayfield, who may prefer to wait for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson, who is representing himself, recently started chatting with Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta about his next deal. Jackson could easily land a five-year deal in excess of $210MM, putting him just behind Patrick Mahomes‘ league-leading average annual value. Mayfield would command less than the Ravens QB, but Jackson’s deal could push his ask above $35MM/year.

Fifth-year options will soon require bigger commitments from teams, with the 2018 first-round class being the first group that will see their options fully guaranteed if exercised. Although the No. 1 overall pick from that draft has enjoyed an inconsistent career, his rookie contract will soon run through 2022.

The Browns will “definitely” pick up Baker Mayfield‘s fifth-year option, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes. This will be one of two options the Browns would be on course to exercise this year, with the team needing to make a fairly easy decision on Denzel Ward‘s option by May 3.

Mayfield slogged through a brutal 2019 season, throwing 21 interceptions — the NFL’s second-most that year — and regressing after showing promise under Freddie Kitchens in 2018. However, Mayfield fared much better in Kevin Stefanski‘s offense last season. The former Heisman winner ranked 10th in QBR with a 72.2 mark — by far a career-high figure — and cut his interception total down to eight.

Mayfield’s option call will be the easier of the two decisions the Browns will need to make regarding his contract status. He became extension-eligible in January, but considering the uneven path the 6-foot-1 passer’s career has taken, it would make sense for the Browns to want to see more before entering serious extension talks. The Rams and Eagles respectively extended Jared Goff and Carson Wentz before their fourth seasons. Less than two years later, the teams that held the Nos. 1-2 picks in the 2016 draft took on record dead-money sums in trading those quarterbacks.

The Bills and Ravens are on track to discuss extensions with their 2018 first-round passers this offseason, though John Harbaugh said a Lamar Jackson deal could also happen in 2022. These re-ups taking place this year will drive up the market for teams eyeing extensions in 2022, and although Jackson and Josh Allen have put together better seasons than Mayfield has, each 2018 first-round QB’s contract talks will be relevant to the others’ negotiations. It will be interesting to see how the Browns proceed here this year, with the franchise having extensive issues at quarterback since rebooting in 1999.

Browns QB Baker Mayfield‘s inconsistent play this season, combined with his disappointing sophomore campaign in 2019, has led to plenty of speculation that the former No. 1 overall pick could be benched in favor of backup Case Keenum. However, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says that’s not going to happen.

Per Cabot, Mayfield will get the final 10 games of the season to prove himself. Though she does add that he may not keep his job if he continues to throw a high number of interceptions, the Browns are still high on Mayfield and believe his performance will improve.

Mayfield obviously offers far more upside than Keenum, and Cleveland has far more invested in the third-year passer, so the decision is not an especially difficult one. Still, the fact that Mayfield has played well against poor defenses in 2020 and has struggled mightily against the better teams is cause for concern. He did play through sore ribs in last week’s blowout loss to the Steelers and had only one full day of practice leading up to the game, so perhaps there is reason for optimism moving forward.

After all, the 4-2 Browns have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, and after they battle the Bengals this afternoon, they will have a bye next week. At that point, Mayfield should be completely healthy and ready to lead a talented offense towards a playoff berth.

If he does play well down the stretch, Cabot says Cleveland will certainly pick up his fifth-year option, though the team’s evaluation may be made more difficult by the relatively low level of competition that Mayfield will be facing. If he does not play well, or if he continues to be hit-or-miss, new GM Andrew Berry will have a very tough call to make.