Baker Mayfield NFL MVP odds: Browns pick up Mayfield's fifth-year rookie option, now fully guaranteed
In a no-brainer move, the Browns picked up the fifth-year option of QB Baker Mayfield, essentially ensuring his future with the team through at least 2022.
The new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Players' Association and the owners includes a change to rookie fifth-year options. Under the prior CBA, the contract was immediately guaranteed for INJURY ONLY upon exercising the fifth-year option. However, now all fifth-year options are guaranteed fully. Thus, barring trade or major injury, Baker Mayfield will be the Cleveland Browns' quarterback for the next two seasons at least after the team picked up his fifth-year option Friday. Mayfield is +4000 on the moneyline at William Hill Sportsbook to win 2021 NFL MVP.
The deadline for all teams to exercise fifth-year options is May 3. Mayfield's is valued at $18.858 million, which is a steal for a good quarterback. The former Heisman winner completed 62.8 percent of his passes last season for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and a career-low eight picks. His rating of 95.9 was a career high. Pro Football Focus gave Mayfield a grade of 85.7 that was eighth in the NFL.
Mayfield was terrific in the wild-card upset of Pittsburgh in throwing for 263 yards and three scores with no picks before a so-so game in the Divisional Round loss in Kansas City. Regarding winning MVP, no Browns player has won it since QB Brian Sipe in 1980. Mayfield, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck are the only players in NFL history to throw for 3,500 yards and 20 TDs in each of their first three seasons.
Quarterbacks drafted in the Top 5 are essentially locks to get their fifth-year option picked up dating back to Cam Newton. The notable one who hasn't? Mitchell Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft by Chicago. He's now Josh Allen's backup in Buffalo.
The Bills presumably will pick up Allen's option as a formality as they work out a massive long-term deal. Allen was the No. 7 pick in that 2018 draft. Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick by the Jets, is going to have his option picked up by his new team, the Carolina Panthers.
Cleveland also picked up the fifth-year option of cornerback Denzel Ward, the No. 4 overall pick in 2018, for $13.294 million. The Browns went one stretch of declining fifth-year options on eight first-round picks in a row: Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Barkevious Mingo, Justin Gilbert, Johnny Manziel, Danny Shelton, Cameron Erving and Corey Coleman. No wonder the team was terrible for years.
The Browns have an Over/Under win total of 10 for this season at William Hill, with the Under a very slight -105 favorite. The NFL schedule is out May 12.Â
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