Mayfield’s season over, surgery soon
Baker Mayfield’s broken fourth season with the Browns has mercifully ended with one game left.
His time in Cleveland could be running short as well.
Mayfield is sitting out the season finale against the Bengals so he can undergo surgery on his left shoulder, an injury that affected his performance, contributed to the Browns’ falling way short of expectations and may have altered the path of his NFL career.
Mayfield, who played with a torn labrum suffered in Week 2 and a fracture in his non-throwing shoulder for most of the season, was sacked nine times in Monday night’s 26-14 loss to the Steelers.
Afterward, the 26-year-old said he “was pretty damn beat up” and planned to consult with his family and agents about whether to play against the AFC North champion Bengals.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said conversations Tuesday between Mayfield, his representatives and the team led to the decision to have the operation as soon as possible so he has more time to recover ahead of next season.
While the operation, which has yet to be scheduled, ends this season for Mayfield, there’s no certainty on where he’ll take his next snap.
The Browns picked up Mayfield’s fifthyear, $18.8 million contract option for 2022, but his erratic and often poor play this season has raised doubts as to whether the team wants to go forward with him.
The team has not approached Mayfield’s agents about a long-term extension, which seemed almost a certainty after he led them to the playoffs last season.
Mayfield finished this season with 17 TDs, 13 interceptions and 3,010 yards.
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College football: A day after QB Caleb Williams said he was entering the transfer portal but wouldn’t rule out a return to Oklahoma, freshman WR Mario Williams (no relation) also said he was planning to transfer . ... Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner, Wisconsin LB Leo Chenal and Michigan LB David Ojabo announced they were entering the NFL draft. Gardner was a consensus first-team All-American, while Chenal and Ojabo were second-team selections.
NHL: Devils D Dougie Hamilton will undergo surgery Wednesday on his broken jaw after taking a puck to the face during his team’s win over the Capitals on Sunday. There’s no timetable yet for his return. The 28-year-old Hamilton signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Devils during the summer and is among their top scorers this season, with 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists in 30 games.
Also: Tennis star Sloane Stephens and soccer player Jozy Altidore were married Saturday in Miami Beach, Florida. Stephens, 28, won the 2017 U.S. Open, and Altidore, 32, has been with Toronto FC of MLS since 2015. He has 42 goals in 115 appearances for the U.S. but hasn’t appeared for the national team since the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.