The Cleveland Browns rolled the dice when they took Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 pick in 2018. He was coming off an amazing season in college, but some questioned his maturity and physical traits at the time.
Mayfield found some early success in Cleveland. Despite having multiple offensive coordinators, he showed some signs of promise and even led the team to the playoffs.
Even so, it became painfully evident that there was a disconnect between him and the organization. Ultimately, they took a huge swing for the fences and replaced him with Deshaun Watson.
That trade ultimately went down in infamy as arguably the worst in professional sports history.
Even so, Bruce Drennan still believes the team did the right thing.
In the latest edition of his show, he defended the Browns’ decision to trade Mayfield.
“Everything backfired because of Watson and the deal committing the guaranteed money. I was on record, I didn’t think we were going to the Super Bowl, let alone win it with Mayfield, and I don’t think Tampa Bay will, either. He’s a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. He’s a winner, not a champion. There’s a difference,” Drennan said.
"He's a good QB, not a great QB. He's a winner, not a CHAMPION." #DawgPound
Bruce still agrees with the Baker Mayfield trade, citing a lack of a Super Bowl window with Baker.
presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/GeM9cD6q5w pic.twitter.com/IfCfP0sOnQ
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) November 30, 2025
Mayfield Would Have Likely Never Thrived With Browns
That makes sense to a degree, but the Browns just mishandled the entire situation.
Mayfield probably would’ve never become the star he is now if he had stayed in Cleveland. He also had rubbed some people the wrong way within the organization, so it’s not like everything was better when he was around.
Nevertheless, watching him flourish somewhere else is an indictment of what this team has failed to do for years now.
And with the Watson trade holding this team back and costing them Myles Garrett’s prime, it’s hard to feel that the Browns made the right call.
NEXT: Browns Linked To 3 Notable QB Prospects In 2026
