After Baker Mayfield played through a serious injury to his non-throwing shoulder while with the Cleveland Browns during the 2021 season, former NFL quarterback and current NBC Sports football analyst Chris Simms blasted the Browns for how they handled Mayfield.
In an article that was published on Friday, Simms told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, “Baker got screwed over by the Browns— there’s no other way around it.” “He didn’t play well for a year [2021] due to a shoulder injury. After using it against him, they tried to sneak up on Deshaun Watson and take advantage of him. They realised they had upset him when he cancelled them out. We don’t have a quarterback right now. Deshaun Watson must be obtained at last.”
It was claimed in March 2022 that following their initial failure to acquire Watson from the Houston Texans, Mayfield asked to be dealt by the Browns. Then, according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, “Mayfield and his camp learned about the Browns’ meeting with Watson over social media.”
Naturally, Watson was eventually persuaded to move to Cleveland by the Browns with an unprecedented $230 million, five-year contract that was completely guaranteed. In July 2022, the team traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers.
After selecting Mayfield with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by Cleveland, the Browns defeated the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs in January 2021. Mayfield, who joined the Buccaneers more recently, is expected to lead.
Mayfield will finish the current postseason tournament with two more career playoff victories than Watson (one), regardless of what transpires this weekend.
“I think they are dangerous this weekend,” Simms stated in reference to the Buccaneers, who were set as a 6.5-point underdog against the Lions by DraftKings Sportsbook on Friday afternoon. “I believe they have a great matchup with Detroit. I could name only one upset that might occur this week if I had to choose.”
Not only Simms, but a number of notable analysts believe Tampa Bay has a legitimate shot to upset the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.
