Fansided

Mayfield and Barkley literally betting on themselves to win Rookie of the Year

By Cody Rivera

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 31: New York Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley named 2018 Pepsi ® NFL Rookie of the Year at Radio Row on January 31, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for PepsiCo)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 31: New York Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley named 2018 Pepsi ® NFL Rookie of the Year at Radio Row on January 31, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for PepsiCo) /
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Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley are still competing off the field, each wagering on themselves to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

It’s safe to say that the NFL had a pretty impressive rookie class in 2018.

The first two overall picks in last year’s draft — quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Saquon Barkley — each had sensational rookie seasons with their respective teams, the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. The only question now, of course, is which one of them will take home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors?

As it turns out, Mayfield and Barkley have a little more riding on this than just the hardware. They have a personal, friendly wager on this as well, and the winner will earn a brand new chain from the other.

“We get to pick the chain and we get to have fun with it because obviously everyone’s talking about who’s going to win,” Barkley said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “And at the end of the day we’d love to see each other win, but we’d also love to see ourselves win too, but we made a little bet with it just to show how friendly we are that it’s bigger than the award.”

Hey, it’s a long offseason, and neither the Browns nor the Giants were in the playoffs this year. There’s no harm in having a little friendly competition with each other, right?

Barkley already claimed the Pepsi Rookie of the Year award, as voted on by NFL fans. All that remains is the AP award, which is the big one.

Even though this wager may seem like a form of friendly competition, it’s really just more about the fact that Barkley and Mayfield are friends in general. Considering what they each accomplished on the football field this year, they both would be deserving of the award.

“He’s outstanding,” Barkley said. “He’s a heck of a player. He’s doing a tremendous job and I truly think it’s going to be a good competition. We’ve got a little bet. Hopefully I’ll win that bet. But like I said, I can’t say a bad thing about him. I respect him as a player and as a person.”

Next. 5 Super Bowl plays that haunt Patriots fans. dark

After the bet is finally settled and one of the players receives their chain, then football fans can start looking forward to seeing what Mayfield and Barkley have in store for year number two.