Report: Baker Mayfield Viewed as ‘Childish’ by Browns; Behavior ‘Annoyed Teammates’

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The Carolina Panthers will be hoping they get a new version of Baker Mayfield in 2022, instead of the one reportedly seen as “childish” while with the Cleveland Browns.

Mayfield was viewed by the Browns as “childish and immature,” according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, who added that the 27-year-old was “often difficult to coach” and that his behavior “annoyed teammates and divided the locker room.”

Of course, the most recognized issue was between Mayfield and former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was released by the franchise during the 2021 campaign and later signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Browns released Beckham after his father, Odell Beckham Sr., shared a video that highlighted times when Mayfield either missed his son entirely or didn’t throw the ball to him when he was wide open.

Beckham neither publicly disavowed his father’s comments nor spoke to Mayfield about it, according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, and the two just never appeared to be on the same page during their time together in Cleveland.

Lloyd also cited an instance where Mayfield got irritated with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski for missing a meeting after the team lost 45-7 to the New England Patriots in November so he could speak with defensive end Myles Garrett instead.

From that point on, Stefanski never missed another meeting and “privately shined a glaring spotlight on his quarterback during film sessions from that day forward,” according to Lloyd.

The Browns traded Mayfield to the Panthers on July 6 in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024, putting an end to his tenure in Cleveland. After acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans earlier in the offseason, the franchise had no need for Mayfield on its roster.

Now Mayfield will likely enter a battle with Sam Darnold for Carolina’s starting job. Considering Darnold had an even worse 2021 campaign than Mayfield, the former Brown probably has a good chance to get the nod.

Mayfield appeared in 14 games for the Browns last season, playing with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, and completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Darnold, meanwhile, appeared in 12 games because of a shoulder injury, but he didn’t show any signs of improvement from his days with the New York Jets in those games. He went 4-7 and completed just 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

That said, even if Mayfield is arguably the better quarterback, it’s hard to imagine the Panthers starting him if his behavior issues continue in Carolina.