Baker Mayfield’s extension coming this summer?

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry made the relatively easy decision in late April to pick up the fifth-year option for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The next step is to work out the details of a contract extension for Mayfield.

The Browns spent 25 years searching fruitlessly for a quarterback and it is unlikely they want to return to that world, especially after the way Mayfield played in the second half of last season while helping the Browns reach the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Mayfield’s agents appear to be on the same page and are reportedly not interested in letting the contract negotiations drag on any longer than necessary, according to Jack Mills, who along with his son, Tom, represents Mayfield.

Jack Mills spoke with The Land on Demand’s Tony Grossi and said he is focusing on getting a new deal done without regard to what other teams are doing with their quarterbacks:

“We’re not going to be dragging it out. I think there’s been enough contracts done for quarterbacks lately that give us a pretty good idea of what the market is. And, of course, we know that the [salary] cap isn’t going up this year but it’s going up next year and next.

“We pretty much know what’s coming on down the road and what’s been done. We don’t have any particular reluctance about doing a deal.

“But I think something will be done this summer. As far as trying to get a deal done, I don’t know if it’ll get done. It’s something that would be pretty much in the team’s control.”

A willingness to work out something this summer is an interesting twist as there has always been the possibility that Mayfield would want to see how this season plays out and see what the extensions for quarterbacks Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills look like.

Agreeing to a deal this summer would carry a bit of risk for the Browns in case Mayfield reverts to his 2019 play, but that seems unlikely now that he is entering the second season in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s system. If anything, waiting would likely cost the Browns even more if Mayfield has a big season.

According to spotrac.com, Mayfield’s market value on an extension is a four-year deal worth $141 million, an average of $35.3 million a year.