Baker Mayfield Reportedly Agrees to 4-Year Rookie Contract with Browns
July 25, 2018
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Baker Mayfield is officially a member of the Cleveland Browns.
The team announced Tuesday it agreed to terms on a four-year contract with the quarterback.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Mayfield will receive $32.7 million in guaranteed money over the course of the contract and a $21.9 million signing bonus.
While the value of the deal had been slotted by the collective bargaining agreement, there was still contract language to hash out before Mayfield signed on the dotted line.
An impressive career at Oklahoma helped turn the former walk-on into the first overall pick. In three years as a Sooner, he posted 12,292 passing yards and 893 rushing yards and accounted for 137 touchdowns. With 4,627 passing yards on 70.5 percent passing, 311 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns accounted for, he earned the 2017 Heisman Trophy.
Of course, the Browns have a veteran option in Tyrod Taylor should Mayfield not be ready to play come Week 1. However, the former Buffalo Bills quarterback is entering the final year of his deal, so the reins will likely be handed to Mayfield by 2019 at the latest.
Getting Mayfield under contract was the latest move in what has been a transformative offseason in Cleveland. The Browns traded for Taylor, three-time Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive back Damarious Randall, signed running back Carlos Hyde and drafted running back Nick Chubb and wideout Antonio Callaway. Not only that, but they should also have All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon for the entire season.
For a team that went 0-16 last season and 1-31 over the past two years, there is plenty of buzz—especially now that Mayfield will hit the field with his teammates.
