The Cleveland Browns once had the top pick as their quarterback.
Despite a lack of continuity and a revolving door at offensive coordinator, he still led the team to the playoffs.
However, his demeanor rubbed plenty of people the wrong way, and some inconsistency and a seemingly low ceiling made the team give up on him.
Now, years after trading him away, the Browns might miss Baker Mayfield.
At least, that’s how Julian Edelman feels.
Talking to Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots legend claimed that the Browns made a big mistake by giving up on Mayfield:
> “It’s hard to be the future in Cleveland. I think their future is in Tampa right now, that they got rid of, and that’s Baker Mayfield. The future that they had, they got rid of. So they browned it somehow, and I feel terrible for the Cleveland Browns,” Edelman said.
In hindsight, it surely seems that way.
Nevertheless, chances are that Mayfield would’ve never broken out in the way he did if he had stayed in Cleveland, at least under the current head coaching regime.
Sometimes, players just need a change of scenery or someone who believes in them and is willing to build the offense around them to thrive.
We saw it recently as well with Geno Smith and Sam Darnold.
Even so, most people will agree that the team didn’t do right by Mayfield when they traded for Deshaun Watson when he was still on the team.
Those who believe in karma might think that the Browns brought this on themselves, especially considering the serious accusations Watson was facing at the time the Browns traded for him.
Whatever the case, there’s no point in thinking about the past right now.
Mayfield is no longer with the team, and the Browns have to deal with the consequences of their actions.
[NEXT: Eric Metcalf Has Advice For Browns About NFL Draft](https://www.brownsnation.com/eric-metcalf-has-advice-for-browns-about-nfl-draft/)