The transfer expands Mayfield’s contract at Cleveland through 2022, when he will earn $18.86 million.
Last season, Mayfield — the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL draft — quarterbacked the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years.
Mayfield finished last year ranked 10th in the league in QBR, with 26 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions. From Week 7 to Week 15, he was really third in QBR, monitoring only last season’s MVP ( Aaron Rodgers) along with the 2019 MVP ( Patrick Mahomes).
Coming off a year where he broke an NFL rookie record with 27 touchdown passes, Mayfield fought occasionally in 2019, since the Browns ended a disappointing 6-10. But playing to get a fourth head coach in his third year, Mayfield prospered under first-time head coach Kevin Stefanski this past year.
“I hope it’s significantly better,” Stefanski said this week, even when asked about Mayfield advancing with a different season in his scheme. “He has heard these plays over and over again. We have streamlined concepts, and we have tried to correct what we do according to his strengths and our players’ strengths. I hope he is a lot more comfortable from that standpoint. That is what time allows you to do — time together.”
After he took over, Mayfield became Cleveland’s 30th starting quarterback because the franchise returned into the league in 1999.
Mayfield is also qualified for an extension, which the group may engage him on after this offseason.