then this is the way it should end.
And if Baker Mayfield expects
even before any of this happens,
if Baker Mayfield expects to be,
I'll go less Mike. If he expects to be 38 or 40 million
per year in a long-term deal.
It's a pipe dream.
You've just got to say,
if you really are going to let this
destroy you as a player, whatever,
you know. We're not going to sign a long-term. I mean,
the smartest thing, to me,
coming into this and knowing,
you know, if indeed Baker Mayfield was angry that he
wasn't going to get a new deal. The smartest thing would have
been to say. All right, look,
we guarantee we won't franchise you.
So in 2022
that Baker Mayfield would be playing for 32 teams. Now,
I don't think 31 because I do think that,
you know, if the Browns were
The interested, who knows what happens in the next few months,
but
I would rather have a guy who's supremely motivated to play
great because then my franchise is going to benefit by that.
And again, look this could be, could be,
you know, the endgame here.
If,
if DeShaun Watson
signs with the
Atlanta Falcons and the Browns don't get her, can't get Matt
Ryan.
You know, because let's say he goes to the Colts. I item.
I have no idea what will happen to Matt Ryan. But
if that's what happens
then, so be it. But you've got to have stability at
the quarterback position.
You can't have a tornado.
And and right now to me,
I just think emotions, are frayed emotions are high.
Let's let things settle down for a little while.
And I think at the end of the day.
The reason the Browns don't want to bring him back at 18
point eight million this year. They recognize, if he has
a great year, if he channels all of this frustration into
motivation and goes out and plays really well and
the Browns get back to the playoffs,
then they're stuck,
then they have to keep him because then the fan base is
going to be saying Bakers are guy again. Yes, and you give me
a huge contract and what happens? He regresses
in 2023 and this up and down. Goodyear, bad. You're gonna
Your Badger that is not the stuff of a franchise quarterback.
So I think the Browns would prefer
to just move on. That's why. I was surprised
that they declined his trade request. Although I just don't
believe it. I believe they're still going to trade him.
They're either trying to provoke him or the trying to
preserve trade leverage or little bit of both. I think
that
they don't go down the path. If they view him as immature.
They don't go down the path of trying to get DeShaun Watson
and expect him to react maturely. Lee you go down that
path. Knowing you are torpedoing your relationship
with Baker Mayfield. He's never going to be your quarterback
again,
and it's just a matter of how it works out if they didn't go
into the Watson Pursuit
accepting that very real possibility. If not reality,
then they're stupid. Then they, they don't have a chief
strategy officer. There is no strategy. It's just, let's see
what happens. And I don't think the Browns operate
that way.
I don't either but I also think you can't let the feelings of
a quarterback who you think it's 50/50 at best is going to be
your long-term quarterback. And that's at best.
You can't let that dictate what you're going to try to do to
make your team better. I don't find, I find 0 fault
with the Cleveland Browns over this 0.
I mean, and and look,
I mean,
replay everything I said in the first hour about how incredibly
Tasteful. It is all these teams falling all over themselves
to chase DeShaun Watson.
So that has to be a part of this
but when you're not sure who your long-term quarterback is
and there's a top five quarterback in the league out there
that you think there's a good chance. We're going to be
interested in this guy
to not. Go after him, is general manager malfeasance,
and all these people criticizing, Andrew Barry right
now.
They ought to Think what would I do if I was the general
manager of a team,
stick with a guy who I know
is pissed off at us. Anyway,
whether he's going to be our quarterback or not, or
try to get a severely damaged top five quarterback in the NFL,
who could
after all this is said and done for the next 10 years have us
in
serious. Playoff contention, every year.
And and Mike, I just
I think people look at the results
of what happened and say,
Andrew berries, an idiot.
The Browns are amateurs.
They look at the results,
but let's go two weeks ago
and you tell me just tell me, sit in the Browns offices
and have a discussion. Listen in on their discussion,
would you say
That if you heard Andrew, Barry said, I don't want to risk
angering our quarterback
who a year from now.
There's a 60-40 chance won't be our quarterback.
I don't want to risk angering this guy.
So we're not going to go after a top five quarterback in
the NFL. It's Insanity.
Think think people think
Well, I think the bottom line is they're done with Baker,
Mayfield and it just, as I said earlier, is a matter of how
the details play out. Moving forward. Is it? The Colts is
that the Seahawks? The Falcons? Is it someone else
that ends up coming after Baker, Mayfield, because he's
shown enough when healthy
and, and performing at an acceptable level and getting
proper proper coaching and listening to it. He's shown
that he can play really well, you know, the truth here is
whatever the reason contract or whatever.
I've seen enough flashes of it publicly to come to
the conclusion that he's been a huge pain in the ass for
the Browns behind the scenes and they've had enough. Kevin
stefanski doesn't want it. The organization doesn't want it,
and they're looking for someone else
and my guess is,
as they pivot from Deshaun Watson. They're going to find
some other option to play quarterback, whether it's long
term or short term. It's going to be someone other than Baker,
Mayfield. I think, at this point it has to