KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Over the course of the NFL offseason, one of the biggest topics of conversation was Baker Mayfield.
It appears the Cleveland Browns quarterback was listening.
Taking to social media on Sunday, hours ahead of the Browns' season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Mayfield posted a hype video for his team's upcoming campaign. The one-minute and 13-second-long video featured several clips of analysts, prognosticators and pundits discussing Mayfield and the Browns -- largely in a less-than-flattering manner -- followed by highlights of Cleveland's 2020 campaign and the hashtag "#6elieve."
"Talk is cheap. Let’s get it start," Mayfield tweeted along with the video.
Mayfield's post marked the first time the Cleveland quarterback has acknowledged the external noise surrounding his team entering the 2021 campaign. After amassing an 11-5 regular-season record and winning their first playoff game since the 1994 season, the Browns enter the 2021 campaign with lofty expectations and have been a popular pick to win a divisional title -- something Cleveland hasn't done since the 1989 season.
Yet despite the Browns' raised expectations, that hasn't stopped some from questioning the legitimacy or sustainability of their success -- as Mayfield's hype video showed. What's more is that the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft is currently eligible for a contract extension, but has yet to come to terms with Cleveland on a deal entering the 2021 campaign.
"I am worried about winning right now," Mayfield said of his contract status during training camp. "I do not know the timeline on it. We have not talked about it because I am worried about winning this season.”