The future-former Cleveland Browns quarterback is still sitting on the Browns’ depth chart, but behind Deshaun Watson, as he waits for a potential trade.
Speaking on a recent episode of the “Ya Neva Know” podcast, Mayfield explained that he hasn’t had the best go of it in Cleveland, saying that the organization promised him one thing but actually did another, leading to feeling disrespected by the organization (timestamp: 1:07:34):
Mayfield would also say that Seattle might be the most likely landing spot for him for the 2022 season (editor’s note: video contains NSFW language):
But, I had great times my rookie year. I didn’t start in the beginning. I came in and got to have fun the back half of the year. 2019 sucked. 2020 was great, made the playoffs. 2021 was miserable. …
I’m just looking for stabilization right now. And I know what I need to do, for me to be the best version of me, is to be able to lead an organization.
I’m in a good place right now, where like, I have no clue where I’m going. … I’m not nervous. Also, I have no idea where I’m going, but I’m not nervous. ‘Cause I’ve gone through a lot of s— in the past few years. But now I’m going to control what I can control. I’m going to try and impact as many people as I possibly can and work my ass off doing it.
Mayfield played through multiple injuries during the 2021 season, a drama-filled disappointment of a season with the Browns that was once wrought with playoff promise. Ultimately, Mayfield missed just a single game in 2021, but admitted that he was caught up in the “negativity” during the year.
It’s unclear what exactly the Browns brass told Mayfield before giving him an about-face, but for now, Cleveland will turn to Watson as QB1 moving forward. Watson got paid a boatload of money, all guaranteed, from Cleveland before accepting the trade.
Mayfield seems like he will wait patiently for his next opportunity — whether that’s first on a podcast or a football field remains to be seen.
The full conversation can be seen and heard below:
