Joe Thomas, longtime member of the Browns, one of the Legends.
I feel bad for him because he was there fully within
the period where they were bad, his rookie year. They were 10 and 6
and didn't make it to the playoffs. And
then afterward never even sniffed a playoff appearance.
He said, on his podcast with Andrew Hawkins
that Baker Mayfield turned down
30 million per year.
Last year.
Mary Kay Cabot reports citing an unnamed source that it's
100% false and totally erroneous. Now, I would like to
have somebody on the record in response to somebody who's on
the
record saying? Yeah, he time
I mean, I don't because I don't know who's saying this, right?
But I think II think that this is a simple one to
to break down last year.
Knowing what the Browns knew then
they would have paid him 30 million a year.
He probably wanted 40 million a year
and kabat says, in her item. They never had substantive
talks last year. Well, if you get the sense
that the teams in the neighborhood of 30,
and the players in the neighborhood of 40, yeah,
there's nothing to talk about, right. So
I think the more accurate way for Joe, Thomas to say what he
said, would have been Mayfield. Could have had 30 million
a year last year. The Browns were willing to do that. Why
wouldn't they have been? Why wouldn't they have been? Based
upon what he did in 2020
based. Upon the fact they got to the final eight.
The arrows pointing up.
All indications are this guy's got what they want. It wasn't
until week two, when he blows out his shoulder, making
a tackle after an interception that it all fell off. Yeah.
That's right. The Browns this year and it never got
right again. Yeah, they would have given him 30.
And, and I think the,
I think the fact that somebody from the Browns shot that
report down at least tried to tells me that they are
tiptoeing around Baker right now. They don't want to rub it
in his face. Hey Baker, you could have had 30 million last
year? See how you stupid ass. You could have had it
and you didn't do it
and now nobody wants you. Yeah, idiot. Of course, they're not
going to do that because they need him to do them a favor.
Yeah, so I think Thomas is right if we say
baker could have had 30 last year and didn't want it and
I say why, what do you want it based on what everyone knew
last year, you know, here's what happens when you bet on
yourself folks
because we hear about all the time. Hey he bet on himself.
Hey, good job, Jimmy. Yeah you bet on yourself. Sometimes you
bet on yourself and loo. Lose. Yeah. Baker Mayfield. And let's
call it what it is. Let's call it. What it is. He bet on
himself last year
and he lost, he did he did, and
he knew we don't. You're right. We don't hear those stories,
a whole lot and, you know, as far as being made public and
like to your point,
I don't think he'd be mad at either side. I think, now we
can all sit here and laugh at Baker. Maybe I'll go who turned
down 30 million. That's ridiculous. Like, how could he
do that? But at the same time, I want to go. Well, the current
market for NFL, quarterbacks.
And some of the names that he would say, wait, they're making
more than 30 million. I think I'm better than that guy. AKA
Jared Goff and some other names that are on there. Then I could
see him looking at that going. Well, that's low representation
saying that slowed to
you know, look where the markets going. Look where we are now.
So, you know, it's easy to laugh here sitting in the you
know, the end of March but I can understand both sides to
your point. Hey wait, we went to the playoffs in 2020, you
played phenomenal at the end of the season.
Everything was great. And you played great, and we were
really close to knocking out the Chiefs in Kansas City. You
know, you're the number one pick. Hey, here's an offer
that, you know, we thinks fares good for the team, blah, blah,
blah and Baker Mayfield. I can see looking at it. Coming off
the
end of that. Hot year going.
Wait. I'm hot. I've got a I'm feeling good. I'm used to
the NFL now. We got a good team. I'm not going to settle for 30
and now we're stuck here. And
yes, it's a dirty dirty business and
you know, sometimes when you bet on yourself you do get
screwed over. I Sit here and tell you. Sometimes you get you
bet on yourself and you lose an organ
and don't get your money.
All right, that's just the way it goes.
Yeah,
but I do agree with you year ago. I'm trying to think of
something appropriate to say and I can't so I'm just gonna
move on it.
You never want to lose an organ. That's for damn sure.
But a year ago, we would have said he's right to not want
third, right? We would have said that, of course, he
shouldn't want 30
and I think everything that has transpired between Baker
Mayfield and the Browns Trace. It is to the fundamental
disconnect between
what he wanted and what they would have paid in. This is
a byproduct of this expanding accordion of quarterback Market
where it's broader than it's ever been
and it's more and more difficult to find a spot
where the team and the player agree. That's the value. That's
exactly what's going on between partisan calamari right now,
right? That's the root of their problem. Hey, we'd love to have
you.
We'd love to have you.
We're going to give you a second contract.
Act and where do you see what what it is
and then you find out what it is and you say, well, gee
thanks for your willingness
to sign me to a new contract. That is far below. What my
value would be elsewhere. Thank you very much for that.
I appreciate being low-balled by you now cram it up your butt
sideways. I mean
that so that's that introduces, a new Dynamic,
it does these relationships, it does because you know, it we're
not long ago. It was. All right. Let's see, your
quarterback. You're up for a new contract. Are you good? Or
are you bet? Oh, you're good. All right, you're the highest
paid player in NFL history by half million a year. Next guy
up for a contract. Are you good?
Or are you bad? Oh, you're good.
You're the highest paid player in NFL history.
Now now it's like throwing a dart.
It's a giant dart board as to what the right value is.
I think that's where it went off the rails. Yes, from a field in
the Browns and it forced him to bet on himself. Yeah, and
the Browns won that bet. Although, you know, the kind of
graduations Browns. You've got a gigantic PR problem. You have
a quarterback
going to pay, 30 million over the next five years and you
can't wait for the future to arrive soon enough. So, you win
some games and people quit criticizing you for doing a
well done. All right, and the guy and the guy might be
suspended and you have to trade a quarterback that you might
have to pay 80 million dollars.
I know. Yes. And and and and you know, I think we kind of
hit it all there. I think really when you look at it that
way
there. It's an interesting time in our league right now with
the quarterback situation. There is it seems like we're
getting into a there's going to be a tiered class which there
probably should be like we've talked about for a long. Long
time too.
I mean, I know, we were at the Forefront
when that was going on next guy, up, highest paid player
ever highest-paid. We're also why, what, what, what are you
talking about? Why who said you had to make him
the highest-paid player when he's
the tenth best quarterback? I don't understand that. So,
yeah, this is going to be kind of the dance of this situation
and figuring out where some of these guys fit
and Cleveland. Yeah, they got a little bit of an issue in their
hand and Joe Thomas to your point to Mike. I just want to
hit on that.
I mean, come on.
Is there an Ex-player,
that's more connected with a team
than Joe Thomas. So I mean, again, whether it was offered
or talked about. I don't think he's far off. Probably with his
knowledge of the situation here.
The challenge though, is, as we get into these tears.
The team has to convince the quarterback. He's tier 2 when
he thinks he's tr1. Yeah, right. That's the problem,
right? And good luck. Good luck teams. Good luck players,
and we're going to see a lot of these divorces.
Because of it because the player isn't going to want to
admit, he's not as good as he thinks he is and the team
sometimes isn't going to want to admit or regard. A guy is
being better
than what their contract would suggest. So it's going to it's
going to happen more often because you got guys who are
supremely confident, bordering on delusional. Yeah, and
they're there and they're working and it's going, okay.
And you're telling me you're not going to pay me
40, 45 million dollars a year when this guy gets it. It's
just a bit too bad situation.