The Cleveland Browns entered the 2021-22 NFL season with a lot of hype. There was chatter of them giving the Baltimore Ravens a legitimate challenge for the AFC North crown and possibly making a deep playoff run.
Unfortunately, the wheels came off very quickly. As things currently stand, Cleveland is 6-5 after 11 games and sits fourth in the AFC North.
At the core of the Browns’ issues is quarterback Baker Mayfield. Not only has he struggled mightily on the field, but he appears to have alienated not one, but two of his star wide receivers.
According to Skip Bayless of Fox Sports, the Browns locker room is "very close" to turning on Mayfield at this point.
“I talked to one source last night that is a very good source that is very plugged into the Cleveland Browns and knows a lot of the players,” Bayless said.
“That source told me this is all about Odell [Beckham]. ... His mystique and his aura is much bigger than his production over the last four years. He has been beat up, he’s had three surgeries in four years, but I’m going to leave all that alone right now, because he’s still on a pedestal. ...
"My source told me that team is very close to turning on Baker because there's no more Odell. Because even LeBron tweeted 'Free Odell.' And once Odell got freed and goes to the Rams, everyone else in the locker room thinks, 'Gee, I wish I could be free. I wish I could get out of here too.' They are turning on Baker."
There is a reason why Mayfield is lashing out at fans and his wife is losing it on social media. They feel the heat.
The end appears nigh for Mayfield’s stint as the Browns’ starting quarterback. While it’s unclear when precisely it is coming, it’s definitely coming at some point in the foreseeable future.
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