The Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield are focused squarely on the start of the 2021 season and Week 1 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mayfield has made it clear that a contract extension is something he will let his agents handle until it is time for him to get involved. The Browns, for their part, have made it clear they want their quarterback around for a long time.
That does not mean the two sides are close to an agreement. Mayfield’s situation is a precarious one. Took the league by storm as a rookie, faltered among terrible situations in his second year and then took off in the second half of 2020. That history creates some uncertainty for Cleveland but the times he was successful creates expectations from the player’s side.
Odds are the two sides will get it worked out. More of a question of “when not if” but until it gets done, extension talks will simmer.
In a subscriber piece on ESPN, Brodie Waters provided insight on to what to expect for a few players facing extensions including Mayfield:
Mayfield isn’t expected to reach Josh Allen’s six-year, $258 million extension signed earlier this month, so maybe that alleviates pressure on both sides. But Allen became the third quarterback to reach the $40 million annual plateau and the fifth at $35 million or above. That range is now a starting point for any young quarterback who can make a case as a top-15 passer.
When predicting an extension for Mayfield, Waters has some interesting details:
Five years with $206 million in new cash, $152.6 million over the next three years, a $30 million signing bonus and $143 million total guaranteed. Big option bonuses over the first two years are necessary to get this payout high for cap purposes, Waters said.
That puts him below Allen but ahead of Dak Prescott, who, interestingly enough, is a comp that several NFL evaluators make for Mayfield’s ceiling as a player.
The piece also makes note of Denzel Ward and Wyatt Teller as players seeking extensions. Teller, who is set to be a free agent, and Ward, who has two years left on his contract could be next up on the Browns list after extending Nick Chubb.