3 players Browns should extend with Baker Mayfield’s money

The Cleveland Browns rightly do not appear in any rush to extend Baker Mayfield, with these three players more worthy of being paid now.

Baker Mayfield is clearly not concerned about when he signs a contract extension with the Cleveland Browns, despite seeing his fellow 2018 draftee, Josh Allen, recently receive a monster extension from the Buffalo Bills.

Mayfield said he “doesn’t give a damn” about his extension timeline, with the Browns seemingly not rushing into locking down the quarterback they selected first overall three years ago.

The Browns and general manager Andrew Berry are smart not to hurry. Mayfield was drafted by a different general manager and his play through three seasons has not been of the standard to force Cleveland into any kind of urgency.

Having enjoyed an excellent rookie year in 2018, Mayfield and the Browns failed to live up to the hype in ’19 before making the playoffs in ’20 in Kevin Stefanski’s first year as head coach behind a well-balanced offense.

The case can be made that the Browns’ success last year was as much a product of the rushing attack as it was anything Mayfield did as a quarterback.

That may be slightly harsh on Mayfield, who threw for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions last year. He was also in the top half of the league in adjusted net yards per attempt, ranking 12th with an average of 6.96, per Pro Football Reference.

By contrast, though, Allen was fifth with 7.82. While not a bad athlete, Mayfield does not possess Allen’s devastating blend of athleticism and elite arm strength and it is open for debate whether he is a quarterback who can elevate those around him consistently as the best in the league can.

With that in mind, the Browns are right to be patient, and there are three players on the roster who stand out as better candidates than Mayfield to receive their paydays in the immediate future.