Baker Mayfield's future with Cleveland Browns remains in limbo

Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns were officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17.

After a hype-filled preseason, with many fancying the Browns as Super Bowl contenders, the 26-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers put a frustrating season largely in the books, with one final game remaining.

Although the Browns knew the playoffs were out of reach before squaring off against the Steelers, playing spoiler to their rivals in what was expected to be Ben Roethlisberger's final home game could have served as a minor consolation prize.

A win also would have put the Browns at 8-8, giving Mayfield & Co. a chance to finish the 2021 season with a winning record.

But it didn't work out for the Browns, who sit at 7-9 heading into the final week, with Mayfield bearing most of the brunt for Monday's loss.

The 26-year-old quarterback completed a season-low 42.1% of his 38 pass attempts for 185 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating of 53.1 also checked in as a season low.

Pittsburgh's relentless pass rush, which sacked Mayfield a season-high nine times, didn't help matters.

After the game, a banged-up Mayfield said he would look at his options ahead of Week 18's game against the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals.

"It’s time for me to look at what’s in the best interest of me and my health," Mayfield said. "I haven’t been healthy, and I tried to fight for my guys. Right now, I’m pretty damned beat up, to be honest with you. I gave it everything I had tonight."

With surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder on the table, Mayfield was noncommittal on a timeline for the procedure.

"I’m going to get my shoulder fixed," he said. "I want to be able to come back next year at 100 percent. That’s been decided. When it’s happening has not been decided. I don’t have an answer regarding next week."

By Tuesday, the Browns confirmed that Mayfield would have surgery "as soon as possible" and would miss the team's home finale.

Although next week's status is now defined, next year's status remains downright opaque. It certainly sounds like Mayfield wants to return, but are the Browns as all-in?

Cleveland picked up his fifth-year option in April, but the prospects of a long-term deal aren't as rosy as they were coming into the season. 

"I'm about winning," Mayfield said in July when the topic was at the forefront. "And I think everything will play itself out. I’m not worried about it at all because if we win, we’re headed in the right direction."

That attitude wound up costing Mayfield in the end, as Nick Wright of "First Things First" said Tuesday.

"You hear about these 'Bet on yourself' stories all the time,'" Wright said. "Baker bet on himself, and it blew up in his face. I don't think Baker is as bad as he has looked these last couple of months, but he's not good enough to overcome the injuries."

For the Browns, who have lost four of their past five and missed the playoffs for the 18th time in the past 19 years, the question is: Is Mayfield the answer for 2022 and beyond?

Shannon Sharpe of "Undisputed" said he wouldn't give Mayfield an extension and that the Browns have a responsibility to check out some potential blockbuster options.

"I'm going to put feelers out there," Sharpe said Tuesday. "Aaron Rodgers can't tell me anything but ‘No.’ Russell Wilson can't tell me anything but ‘No.’ We're going to have an entire offseason to gauge what's going to happen with Deshaun Watson. … I owe it to [Cleveland fans] to see if these three guys are available."

Even if those big-name QBs aren't available or interested in heading to Cleveland, Chris Broussard said Tuesday that he believes Mayfield is worthy of an extension.

"If I can't get one of those guys … then I'm keeping Baker," Broussard said on "First Things First."

"I am not moving on from him for another mediocre, slightly-above-average quarterback … I'm keeping Baker Mayfield. … Before him, the Cleveland Browns had 29 starting quarterbacks since moving back to Cleveland in 1999. 29! I don't want to go back to that type of instability."

Mayfield has had an up-and-down go of it in Cleveland, that's for sure.

For all the positive vibes he garnered by ending the Browns' 18-year playoff drought a season ago, his legacy is presently complex.

Since joining the league in 2018, he leads the NFL with 56 interceptions and has the second-worst TD-to-INT ratio (1.64) of QBs with 40 or more starts since 2018.

It's not unfathomable that the claws would be out for Mayfield, who went 6-8 as a starter this season. However, on Tuesday's "Undisputed," Skip Bayless launched a defense of the embattled quarterback.

"The Baker hate is in full flood today, mostly detonated by the billions of Odell idolaters out there who are saying: ‘See, it was Baker’s fault!'" Bayless said. "He shouldn't have been playing all year because I told you, he is beat all to hell. He needs surgery, and I think they'll just go ahead and have it right here this week."

Although the offseason hasn't officially begun, the big storylines are already coming into focus.

Mayfield's future in Cleveland, however long or short, is sure to be one of those storylines.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.