One season after taking the Browns to the AFC Divisional Round, quarterback Baker Mayfield saw a decline in production and increased the interceptions thrown thanks to an injury he suffered to his non-throwing shoulder.
Shortly after the season, it became clear Mayfield’s time in Cleveland would come to an abrupt end as the team traded for Deshaun Watson before shipping Mayfield to Carolina.
Not having midseason shoulder surgery is one area where Mayfield now questions if it were the smartest thing to do.
The “Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show” producer Mike Lucas shared a clip on Twitter of Mayfield’s recent interview on “Pardon My Take,” and Mayfield gave an honest answer as to what went wrong during his last season in Cleveland.
“The last year in Cleveland, as banged up as I was … in the midst of it, should I have probably gotten the surgery and sat out? Yeah,” Mayfield explained.
Baker Mayfield on @PardonMyTake talking about his time with the #Browns.
Admits he probably should have gotten shoulder surgery in 2021 and calls himself a "stubborn asshole" looking back at it. pic.twitter.com/DVYNbz930I
— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) July 16, 2024
Mayfield said the reason he did not stop his season for the surgery was he looked at the ethos of the city and tried to match that toughness by playing through the pain in his non-throwing shoulder.
The recovery from his surgery after the 2021 season took a significant amount of time as he had to relearn his throwing motion.
Mayfield said he would not change the outcome from his time in Cleveland as those decisions made him evolve into the person he is today.
Changing teams was a revitalization of his career, helping him to become one of the better quarterbacks in the league last season he concluded.
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