Steve Smith Blasts Mayfield: 'He's Been Holding This Team Back'

Last season's Baker Mayfield and his emotional plea to the Browns on Wednesday had one thing in common: neither played well.

After Mayfield professed his commitment to Cleveland amid their strong interest in landing Houston's Deshaun Watson, several people around the league took issue with Baker's extracurricular journaling when his production on the field has been less than captivating.

NFL Network's silver-tongued pundit, Steve Smith, went off on Mayfield: calling out the QB for his newfound vulnerability.

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"I find it interesting that Baker now is emotional. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. I do too. I was an emotional player," Smith said.

The former Panthers and Ravens wideout then delved into the difference between being an emphatic player on the field versus an emotional performer on his way out of town.

"The difference between Baker and I is I won a triple crown," the retired receiver acknowledged.

"I led the league in something besides crying. Then also at the end of the day, OBJ left to win a championship. You keep bringing in all these players that are supposed to help and what do they do when they go there? Their careers and their numbers decline."

Whether it was out of desperation or not, Mayfield's plea appeared to work after Cleveland announced on Thursday that they were out of the running to trade for Watson.

Mayfield followed that news up by announcing his intention to get traded out of Cleveland.

The Browns' front office is on a mission to trade Mayfield to potential suitors in need of a long-term option at QB, including the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and others.

Smith also chimed in on Mayfield's true value at the position.

" not a stock that I would short, he's not a stock I would place any puts on … at the end of the day, call me Captain Petty. Get him outta there and let the Browns go ahead and eat because he's been holding this team back."

Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela

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Alejandro Avila lives in Southern California and previously covered news for the LA Football Network. Jeopardy expert and grumpy sports fan. Known for having watched every movie and constant craving for dessert. @alejandroaveela (on X)