Baker Mayfield must take ownership of issues involving the Cleveland Browns and prove maturity levels are not an issue moving forward, according to an NFL hall of famer QB.
NFL analyst and Hall of Famer Steve Young did not mince one word during his assessment of the situation playing out in Cleveland, and says Mayfield needs to restructure his image before returning to the field in 2022.
“You can’t play the victim,” Young said on Monday’s edition of the Rich Eisen Show. “Victimization has to be put in a bottle and buried in the ground and deep because it’s too easy to play the victim. Look, there are a lot of things out of your control and a lot of things you’ve done wrong. You cannot, in the NFL, survive and play the victim. You have to now leave it behind and own every bit of it. Own it. Own every mistake you’ve ever made. Own how you got here. Don’t blame other people. You got yourself here.”
“If you own it, that would go a long way for everybody to feel like Baker Mayfield can make the elements of a comeback. You can’t get there in the spirit of victimization. It can’t happen.”
Young said Mayfield can “do himself a nice favor” by proving to potential suitors that he can take care of “problems” in the locker room and be a leader for teammates offensively.
Panthers previously held the “inside track” to acquire Mayfield and conversations with the Browns continued during the first few rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft before Carolina selected Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral on Day 2.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
His salary remains a huge hurdle for potential suitors. The Browns may not want to, but they will likely have to eat a large bulk of that if they want him off the roster.
Last season, Mayfield tossed for 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions over 14 games. In his career, he has thrown for 14,125 yards and 92 touchdowns to 56 interceptions.
