In stunning moves, Mayfield, Jackson to switch teams, reconfiguring AFC North.
Thursday, April 1, 2021: Exclusive.
He has been one of the National Football League’s most omnipresent personalities since he was drafted.
A man who is not shy about his feelings, he is ultra-confident in his abilities to lead a team to greatness, including winning a Super Bowl.
Perhaps upon reading that passage, one would be thinking of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, which would be correct. But the same is also true of Cleveland Browns signal-caller Baker Mayfield, who will now inherit Jackson’s job in a stunning turn of events.
Pressing the button on a blockbuster trade that was kept so secret that there had been no reports of any rumors to this effect, the Ravens sent Jackson and their 2022 first- and second-round picks to the Browns for Mayfield and Cleveland’s third-round pick in this year’s selection meeting, set for the end of this month, ironically, in Cleveland.
Young quarterbacks like Mayfield and Jackson have electrified the league in recent years, but it’s rare to see trade between two of them take place, and it’s even more startling to see it occur within the same division.
“All of what we took into account told us this was the way to go,” general manager Eric DeCosta said. “Baker is a bit older and had more quality experience at a bigger college, not to mention he seems a bit more fully developed as an all-around NFL passer.”
Pundits have long pointed out deficiencies in Jackson’s passing repertoire, specifically, his lack of consistency throwing outside the numbers, despite arm strength that is more than adequate. Still, Jackson was the league’s unanimous choice as Most Valuable Player after the 2019 season, the first Ravens quarterback to win that award and the first Baltimore-based NFL player to do so since the Colts’ Bert Jones in 1976.
Running through regular-season schedules that got very tough in spots, not to mention a team-wide coronavirus outbreak, Jackson has steered the Ravens to playoffs berths in each of the last three seasons, earning his first postseason victory in last year’s Wild Card Weekend game at Tennessee.
It is legitimate to point out, however, that a lack of consistent pass protection has hampered Jackson by a spotty offensive line, one that was further hampered in 2020 by the offseason retirement of future Hall of Fame guard Marshal Yanda and the season-ending injury to left tackle Ronnie Stanley, among other factors.
Layered on top of those obstacles is the offseason speculation swirling around Orlando Brown, Jr., who had been the Ravens’ right tackle until Stanley’s injury forced him to move to the left side, where he did what most observers would agree was an above-average job.
“For one thing, we have work to do along our offensive line,” DeCosta contends. “We got Kevin Zeitler; that will help. For another, Baker was the draft’s top overall pick for a reason. He has a game that everyone knew could translate to the next level, and it has done so rather well.”
On the whole, Mayfield’s career, while not spectacular, has been rather solid so far.
Over three seasons, he has a 23-22 record as a starter, not a small feat for a franchise as hapless as the Browns have been since returning to the league as a 1999 expansion team. Mayfield has completed nearly 62 percent of his passes with 75 touchdowns and 43 interceptions. However, he has been sacked 91 times and has a career passer rating of just over 89.
“Likely, most of those sacks are due to his great mobility,” DeCosta believes. “Lamar is mobile, too, that’s for sure. We’ve all seen that. But to get an added passing dimension at a time when we’re trying to diversify and boost our passing game was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
“Surprising, no doubt about it,” Mayfield said upon learning of the trade. “But to go to a team like Baltimore, a team I’ve always hated playing but respected immensely is a new, fresh opportunity for me. I feel much closer to a Super Bowl now.”
Devastated Browns fans who were accustomed to hitching their wagon to Mayfield’s rising star can take some solace in inheriting a captivating dual-threat like Jackson, who set a single-season quarterback rushing record with 1205 yards in his MVP season of 2019, the same year the Ravens set an all-time league team rushing record. For an encore, Jackson again topped the thousand-yard barrier in 2020, running for 1005 yards.
Against the Ravens, Mayfield lost four of his six starts, including both games last year, including a thrilling Monday-night mid-December shootout in Cleveland. He has completed 58 percent of his passes against Baltimore with ten touchdowns, eight interceptions, eight sacks, and an 82.6 passer rating.
“You will be getting someone who wants to win, plain and simple,” Mayfield stated in an online message to his new fan base. “I know how intense the Baltimore fans can be, and I understand that. I will do my best to earn your support and trust.”
(For a special message, write down the first letter of each paragraph in order.)
