CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is not afraid to let his opinions be known, especially when he feels his teammates are unfairly criticized in the media, and the second-year signal-caller continued his campaign against national sports-talk host Colin Cowherd.
The well-documented feud between the two took another turn Tuesday when Mayfield spoke with Complex Sports and explained why he continues to pursue this exchange with Cowherd.
“He’s supposed to bring out facts and he chooses to put out irrational opinions,” Mayfield said. “People can say what they want, they can say I’m not really supposed to comment on this, but a liar is a liar, and a guy that is really just full of it, needs to be put in his place.”
This was the latest chapter in the rivalry between Mayfield and Cowherd, but it may be far from the last.
Earlier this month, Mayfield posted a tweet after Cowherd put together a “Family Feud”-style board of Odell Beckham Jr.’s most moments in the NFL, most of which were negative.
“Once again, you’re a clown,” Mayfield wrote. “Now I know you’re just trying to get me fired up. ‘Most memorable moments’... he’s 26 and his greatest moments are ahead of him. You forget the kids and people he inspires. That goes much further than football...”
On the heels of that exchange, Mayfield created two t-shirts commemorating the rivalry between himself and Cowherd.
The first shirt says “Fact Vs. Fiction Cleveland Vs. Cowherd” with the Cleveland skyline on one side and a microphone on the other. The second shirt features “The Land vs. The Herd” with an outline of the Cleveland skyline above “The Land.”
“There’s people like that who are really abusing their position, abusing a platform to a point where people are going to listen to it.” Mayfield said later in the article with Complex Sports.
“I’ll be the first one to tell you I’m not always right. I know my flaws, and I’d love for people to correct me so I can get better. He’s a guy who thinks he’s always right. He throws people’s names under the bus. He can say what he wants about me, but as soon as he starts talking about my teammates, that’s when I have a problem.”
Despite the off-the-field noise, Mayfield took on a leadership role with the Browns early in the 2018 season and had an historical run that no other rookie was able to accomplish in the near 100-year history of the NFL.
Mayfield broke the NFL rookie record with his 27th touchdown throw of the season with 3:24 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 26-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North Division clash at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 30.
After taking over the first-team offense in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield completed 310 of his 486 attempts (63.8 percent) for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
Under the direction of new Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, the interim offensive coordinator for the second half of the 2018 season, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Although Mayfield does not get credit for the win over the Jets because he came on in relief of injured starter Tyrod Taylor, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft led the Browns to seven wins and the greatest single-year turnaround in franchise history (plus-7.5 victories).