BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is not one to shy away from letting his opinions be known, and there are not many limits to what he will not talk about or comment on when asked by reporters.
In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, Mayfield was critical of the New York Giants for drafting Daniel Jones in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and reminded everyone that he is not your typical athlete: “Quarterbacks, by the textbook, are supposed to be reserved, cool, calm and collected. I’m going to do it my own way.”
“I think Baker knows exactly what he’s doing,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said. “You guys aren’t giving him enough credit. He’s 24 years old. He’s very mature, but again, he’s still 24 years old. He’s going to have things he learns along the way in football, in life, in anything else. I don’t think it matters. At the end of the day, I don’t think it matters.”
When asked if Mayfield’s attitude and comments will make the proverbial target on the back of the Browns any bigger, Kitchens did not thing so.
“Do we not have a bullseye on us just because we’re in the NFL and we’re playing on Sundays?” Kitchens said. “We’re going to get somebody’s best effort. What does that tell you about the team? That’s being disrespectful to the team you’re playing if you don’t think you’re getting the best effort from them.
“What are they going to do? Sit 10 starters or something? I don’t understand that. We’re going to give our best effort every week, and I hope that we get theirs. We want to see who’s best. The expectations you guys set doesn’t matter about our expectations. Our expectations are just to perform the best that we can do, and that changes on a week-to-week (basis). You guys know how the football season goes. That’s why we’re just worried about tomorrow.”
Mayfield has a history of reacting to happenings in the football world, and let it be known in the days following the first meeting of the season with the Cincinnati Bengals that he was not happy with former Cleveland coach Hue Jackson for accepting an offer to remain in the AFC North Division after his dismissal from the Browns on October 29.
And just in case those words were forgotten, Mayfield served up a reminder after sealing a 26-18 victory over the Bengals with a 66-yard pass to tight end David Njoku with 1:48 to play in the fourth quarter.
Following the completion, Mayfield appeared to stare down and smile at Jackson while looking toward Cincinnati’s sideline, and then, backpedaled his way down the field before taking three snaps out of the victory formation to exhaust the clock.
In leading the Browns to their first regular-season series sweep of the Bengals since 2002, Mayfield completed 27 of his 37 attempts for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Mayfield spread the ball around to nine different receivers, rushed for 16 yards and was not sacked in the win.
In his two games against the Bengals last year, Mayfield was 46 of 63 for 542 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Additionally, Mayfield rushed for 12 yards on 10 carries and was not sacked in either outing.
“We don’t care,” Kitchens said of what opponents think of Mayfield’s comments. “We don’t care, alright? It’s already on there, so it doesn’t matter. We’ll be ready to play.”