*[EDIT]* Multiple reports Browns actively shopping Mayfield pg. 29/30 - Ravens / Browns in QB contract pickle

[BuffaloRebound]

Not sure I’d call either situation a pickle.  One guy has earned a huge contract and the other guy hasn’t.  And Cleveland has at least another year before they have to make that decision.  Same with Baltimore if Lamar’s injury is a long term concern.  

[aristocrat]

Lamar is the tough one. When healthy he can win you a ton of games with his legs and little bit with his arm. Problem is once he loses a step and he is just as fast as everyone else. So I could see him getting a shorter deal than Allen but similar average. Baker they need to just let play and see if he turns it around. I mean he has a great line, elite run game, wr's tight ends....I mean if Allen had all that good god. 

[Governor]

24 minutes ago, eball said:

The Baker situation is the easier one in my mind…the Browns should tell him to play out his 5th year option and then talk.  He has some excuses (injury) and there’s no question he tried to tough it out for the team…probably to his detriment.  But he wasn’t good and they shouldn’t pay him now.

 

Both the Ravens and Lamar are in a pickle.  The Ravens drafted him and then completely designed an offense around him.  If the contract demands are “reasonable” then the Ravens probably extend him, but if Baltimore decides they want to go in another direction because his demands are too high where does he go?  What other team is going to “blow everything up” and craft the offense needed for him to be successful?

 

Lamar won an MVP and has had tremendous success (pre-playoffs).  This year, though, the fear a lot of folks had has come to the forefront — namely, that he’s not a huge guy and that style of play is hazardous to his health.  He also still hasn’t developed fully as a passer.

 

Like the OP mentioned, we should be so happy not to be in either of these spots.

 

Houston, WFT, and that’s about it. If I were them, I’d seriously try to move him right now and rebuild.

Edited January 4, 2022 by Governor

[Rock'em Sock'em]

With the browns offensive line and RB situation, they can easily find a journeyman QB to join on a prove-it deal. I hope they do extend (and overpay) Mayfield for Allen money.  The Ravens and Lamar are a great match for one another - but if the play of Huntley and Johnson is any indication, they have a good system in place.  That contract should get done in the interest of both team.  It will be interesting to see the numbers, but I don't think Lamar will fetch Allen dollars outside of Baltimore.  In both cases, I doubt the GM is rushing to the bargaining table with bags of money.

[stevewin]

1 hour ago, HamSandwhich said:

Cut em both

An both will go to NE to back up Mac Jones

[MarkyMannn]

So OP says Baker has most picks last 4 years. Watching him play, I wonder if he leads in balls deflected at the D line. Cause it seems it

[YoloinOhio]

 Baker said he’s going to talk to his family and agent before he decides whether to play this week. So it’s his decision, not ownership, GM, coach? That org is chaos always. 

[Coach Tuesday]

2 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 Baker said he’s going to talk to his family and agent before he decides whether to play this week. So it’s his decision, not ownership, GM, coach? That org is chaos always. 

That org did nothing to help him last night.  They left the rookie RT on an island against Watt all game despite the pummeling their QB was taking with his already-injured shoulder.  Franchise is a mess.

[T master]

2 hours ago, Scott7975 said:

Either team would be fools to give those QBs an Allen type contract.  Lamar is figured out and isn't a good passer of the football.  Im sure Ill get roll eyes, check marks, and flak for this but I don't care.  I've said it from year one and I will continue to say it.  Lamar is not a good QB.  Probably the best athlete on the field but Lamar said it best... not bad for a RB.

 

As far as Baker he has played with a pretty bad injury all year so its hard to judge but based on his overall work, I don't think he is very good either.  He turns the ball over too much.  If he stopped that he would be a good game manager though.

 

If it were me, I would at best franchise tag those QBs or offer them a mid level contract and look to replace them sooner than later.  Anything more than a mid level contract would just set the team back.  Ravens already made that mistake with Flacco.  Will they make the same mistake twice?  Already seen what the Ravens look like this year from injury.  They aren't going to look any better when they can't pay anyone.  Even full strength, Lamar is not winning them a SB.  He is just a regular season super hero.  Not going to get more than that.  Especially not now.  More and more teams are getting better.  More and more teams have figured out the Lamar/Roman formula.  Contain Lamar.  Take Andrews out of the game.  Lamar isn't good enough after that.  I don't care what wideouts they have.

 

But But Lamar has been voted into the pro bowl & he is also a MVP so that makes him better than Josh right so they will have to pay him big bucks because the Bills paid Josh & he doesn't even have a pro bowl so yah that's what they will look at is the pro bowls & the MVP cause that's their proof .

 

Boy good thing Josh didn't have better numbers than Lamar this year or last year the Bills would have never been able to afford him if he had number like Lamar had this year ... 😆

[Coach Tuesday]

Folks here underrate Jackson.  It’s not his fault he was put in the Pro Bowl but the forever “chip on shoulder” Bills’ fans seem to hold it against him.  They love him in Baltimore, he won an MVP already and their entire offense is designed around him.  He’s definitely getting paid.

That said, it’s pretty amazing that Allen is the only QB from that heralded class who will be in the playoffs this year.  Amazing how everything transpired.

[Wayne Cubed]

12 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 Baker said he’s going to talk to his family and agent before he decides whether to play this week. So it’s his decision, not ownership, GM, coach? That org is chaos always. 

 

Honestly think they should get rid of Stefanski. The Browns have been a better team when he's sat at home on the couch with Covid.

[clayboy54]

I was really surprised to hear the talking heads speaking like there was no way Cleveland resigns Baker. Somebody will surely think he is worth a 2nd chance. Teams gave the right Josh at least 3 chances. Baker Mayfield is way better than Josh Rosen, right? 

[2003Contenders]

The situations for all three teams are very different.

 

There is nothing special about Mayfield -- and the Browns made the blunder  in the 2018 draft of selecting him #1 overall because he was the most NFL-ready QB in that class. They were right about his relative polish entering the league -- but how much better is he now than he was as a rookie 4 years later? Given his propensity for INTs, I am not sure that I would even argue that he is a true game manager (in the Alex Smith fashion). Truthfully, with the supporting cast that team has, the Browns could make do with a solid signal caller who does not make killer mistakes and thrives in a play-action offense (think someone like Tannehill). All of which is to say, if I were them, I would not be opposed to looking elsewhere for a QB -- and a solid guy that doesn't break the bank would not be the end of the world given their situation.

 

Jackson is a true and rare talent that fits the offense that the Ravens have in place for him. He has been a winner, a league MVP, and he truly is a QB that every opposing DC must contend with. That said, his talents are so unique that he has to be in the right offense/system to thrive. I do not necessarily see that as a detriment with him and the Ravens because the Ravens definitely have built their team specifically for him. When it is all said and done, both sides will likely realize that it is in everyone's best interest to reach an agreement -- and he will wind up with top 5 (probably top 3) QB money.

 

Josh is a generational talent, whose high-level broad skills make him uniquely diverse. That is, you could literally put him on any team with any system in place -- and he would thrive. The front office was very smart to work out a fair and long-term deal with him when they did.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by 2003Contenders

[MAJBobby]

2 hours ago, Inigo Montoya said:

When Beane extended Josh last year it was the expectation that Jackson and Mayfield would also get an extension done before the start of the regular season.  That never happened and now those two franchises find themselves with a bit of a dilemma.

 

Despite being voted to the Pro Bowl again (and Jackson's team will beat that drum despite the fact he clearly doesn't deserve it), Jackson has had a down year in almost every category and has not been available due to injury for part of the second half of the season.  He hasn't played well enough to get a contract that is more lucrative than Allen's, but that is what they are going to be asking for and it will be tough for the Ravens as an organization to pay him less.

 

Baker has had a terrible season and is also down in almost every meaningful statistical category despite being on a team loaded with talent and behind one of the best O-Lines in the NFL.  No NFL QB has had more interceptions than Baker has in the last four years. He has evolved into a serviceable game managing QB.  In fairness, he has dealt with a non-throwing shoulder injury that muddies the water this year a bit.

 

Here are how the 3 QBs line up statistically this year through Week 17;

 

Josh Allen 2021 

Games Played; 16

Completions;  385

Passing Yards;  4,168

Comp %;  64.1

Passing TD's;  34

INT's;  15

Rushing Yards; 700

Average Per Rush;  6 yards

Rushing TD's;  6

Rushing 1st Downs;  51

 

Lamar Jackson 2021   -  Pro Bowl 

Games Played; 13 full games (knocked out early in game 14)

Completions;  246

Passing Yards;  2,882

Comp %;  64.4

Passing TD's;  16

INT's;  13

Rushing Yards;  767

Average Per Rush;  5.8 yards

Rushing TD's;  2

Rushing 1st Downs;  48

 

Baker Mayfield 2021

Games Played;  15

Completions;  237

Passing Yards;  2,825

Comp %;  62.4

Passing TD's;  15

INT's;  11

Rushing Yards;  118

Average Per Rush;  3.4 yards

Rushing TD's;  1

Rushing 1st Downs;  10

 

Looking at those stats and watching the arc of their careers, while Josh isn't putting up numbers as spectacular as last year, I think he has proven that the 2020 season was not an anomaly.  He is one of the top five QBs in the NFL by any measuring stick.  Lamar and Baker on the other hand have had a year of inconsistency where they have played worse than last year and both teams are unlikely to make the playoffs. 

 

The fact that neither franchise locked down Lamar and Baker before this season means that the organizations harbor some doubt about them and wasn't willing to commit long term no matter what they say publicly.  They kicked the can down the road a year and the question is now what do they do with the 2021 season in the bag?

 

1.)  Do they make them play out their 5th year options and see how they do before coming to the table? 

2.)  Do they play hardball and negotiate a contract less than what Allen got even though the cap is about to explode?

3.)  Do they go after a free agent QB and move on? 

4.)  Do they give them a contract on par or better than Allen's because the other options are unpalatable for various reasons?

5.)  Do they draft a QB and start over (slim pickings this year, especially at their likely draft spot)?

 

I think Lamar clearly has a stronger hand to play than Baker.   Both franchises are in a corner here.  The best thing for the Bills is for both franchises to overpay for their QB.  It's going to be one of the best storylines of the off season this year.  I've got my popcorn ready. 

 

I'm so glad the Bills aren't in that boat.

 

 

I think Lamar plays on his 5th year option.  

 

I think the Browns move on from Mayfield and are going to be players in the Watson Sweepstakes once trades can happen.  

[Beast]

I hope they both get paid more than Allen and stay put in Cleveland and Baltimore. Then I hope Miami gives Tua a record breaking deal. 

[Fan in Chicago]

1 hour ago, Greg S said:

Baker isn't getting that big payday. To think he was the #1 pick in 2018. He has been a disappointment. They made a point last night saying the Browns offense runs thru Chubb and Hunt. What does that tell you about Baker as a #1 pick?

Mayfield looked awful last night but the O play caller wasn't helping much . They needed to run more with Chubb and not have Mayfield throw so much. As it is , I haven't been impressed with his passing but the shoulder injury makes it worse.

 

To the OP's questions, Ravens for sure will extend Jackson. Browns should push the decision to the following off-season and see what Mayfield can do when fully healthh

[HamptonBillsfan]

The Browns have to move on from Baker, sooner than later. The fan base has turned on him and he has started to feel like a victim. His arm strength and accuracy has come into question. Lamar, should come back next year on the 5th year option and play like he did before he stumbled this season, and get paid. He's their best option going forward. 

[Teddy KGB]

2 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

I dont see it as a pickle.   Beyond stats Lamar is 37-12 as a starter, and needs to be re-signed. (made sure to add the space for my boy @Freddie's Dead) Baker is 29-30 and should be let go. 

cutting him for a Qb who can make throws to win playoff games seems like a better play. 
 

1-3 in playoffs with more int’s than td’s 🥴

21 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Folks here underrate Jackson.  It’s not his fault he was put in the Pro Bowl but the forever “chip on shoulder” Bills’ fans seem to hold it against him.  They love him in Baltimore, he won an MVP already and their entire offense is designed around him.  He’s definitely getting paid.

That said, it’s pretty amazing that Allen is the only QB from that heralded class who will be in the playoffs this year.  Amazing how everything transpired.

jacksons overrated.     Worthless in postseason. 

[YoloinOhio]

20 minutes ago, Wayne Cubed said:

 

Honestly think they should get rid of Stefanski. The Browns have been a better team when he's sat at home on the couch with Covid.

They won’t though. I do think he should give play calling to Alex van pelt. Not a huge fan of HC calling plays in general.

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Lamar is a no-brainer, he's coming back. Baker is just not really good at anything? Doesn't run well, okay arm, small, seems to play the victim card....Just the same, I have a feeling they find a way to bring him back. Why? he's average and who they getting?