Mayfield ‘clears the air’ with Giants’ Jones
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield did some scrambling off the field.
Claiming he was taken out of context in an interview conducted four months ago, Mayfield said Wednesday he reached out to New York Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones after making some biting comments about the first-round pick from Duke.
On Tuesday, a GQ article on Mayfield was published and in it the confident and charismatic former No. 1 overall selection said he was shocked the Giants drafted Jones with the No. 6 pick this year and questioned why the team would take a player without a proven track record of winning.
Mayfield acknowledged he told GQ that he was stunned by the choice of Jones — “blows my mind” — but that he didn’t mean any disrespect toward Jones and that other comments in the article were pieced together.
Mayfield said he texted Jones to make sure he understood he didn’t mean any harm.
“I reached out to Daniel because all that stuff was blown way out of hand, and I wanted him to know how I felt, and I’ve heard nothing but great things from Saquon (Barkley) and Sterling Shepard, guys that have a lot of respect for him and respect their opinions,” Mayfield said. “I just wanted to clear the air with him.”
Mayfield, who has built his reputation on being outspoken and unapologetic, said Jones appreciated the gesture.
“He was very nice,” Mayfield said as the Browns wrapped up training camp. “Everything that people have said about him, he was cordial. He said, ‘no worries, man.’ ”
Cardinals add WR Crabtree
The Arizona Cardinals have signed veteran receiver Michael Crabtree to a one-year contract.
The 31-year-old Crabtree is entering his 11th season and has played for San Francisco, Oakland and Baltimore after being drafted 10th overall out of Texas Tech.
He has 633 career catches for 7,477 yards and 54 touchdowns.
Crabtree will be part of an intriguing offense that includes No. 1 overall draft pick Kyler Murray, running back David Johnson and receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk.
Crabtree started all 16 games last season for Baltimore and had 54 catches for 607 yards and three touchdowns.
Jets’ Copeland faces suspension
New York Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland has been suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Copeland can still participate in the team’s preseason practices and games.
The 28-year-old Copeland was a key contributor last year, his first with the Jets. He had a career-high five sacks while starting 10 games.
Dolphins sign Grant to extension
Miami Dolphins receiver Jakeem Grant signed a four-year extension for up to $24 million through the 2023 season.
One of the NFL’s smallest and fastest players at 5-6, Grant has three career touchdowns on returns, which ties the franchise record.
He has only 34 career receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns, but is expected to play a significant role in first-year coach Brian Flores’ offense this season.
Odds and ends
Defensive tackle Damon Harrison and the Detroit Lions have agreed to an $11 million, one-year extension, giving him three years left under contract with the franchise. The Lions acquired Harrison, 31, from the New York Giants in the middle of last season for a fifth-round draft pick. …
The New Orleans Saints have added veteran linebacker Will Compton and rookie offensive lineman Fisayo Awolaja to their training camp roster. The additions come after the club waived reserve long snapper Nick Moore and placed offensive tackle Chris Clark on injured reserve with a leg injury. Compton is entering his seventh NFL season. Last season, he played 12 games for Tennessee and started twice.