Baker Mayfield’s extension may not happen until the fall

Another day, another report about the impending contract extension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Just a few days after ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi reported that Mayfield’s agents are willing to work out a new deal this summer without regard to what other quarterbacks might get from their teams, Mary Kay Cabot at cleveland.com reports that things may take just a wee bit longer.

According to Cabot, while both Browns general manager Andrew Berry and Mayfield’s agents, Tom and Jack Mills, know an extension is “going to happen,” no one is in a rush for a few reasons:

For starters, the Browns have already picked up Mayfield’s fifth-year option worth $18.858 million for 2022, and he knows they’re committed to him. Secondly, Mayfield’s camp knows GM Andrew Berry has other extensions he’s working on, including for running back Nick Chubb, guard Wyatt Teller and cornerback Denzel Ward.

Another reason there’s “no rush,” as Mayfield stated during minicamp two weeks ago, is extensions for his 2018 draft classmates Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will likely factor into the equation. If Allen and Jackson get their current market value of more than $42 million a year, there’s no way Mayfield is settling for $35 million.

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.