In light of Browns’ connection to Alex Van Pelt, should the Patriots sign Baker Mayfield?
Jerod Mayo found his three coordinators quickly, three weeks after it was announced that the New England Patriots had selected him as their new head coach. Among these was the hiring of an offensive coordinator, something that had been long awaited following Bill O’Brien’s brief return to Foxboro, before he ran away to Ohio State to take the same position in college. But now that Mayo has brought on former Cleveland Browns coordinator Alex Van Pelt, supporters can finally see what the offense in New England will look like. Van Pelt is anticipated to bring a system akin to the one used in the West Coast offense to Foxboro, along with perhaps an experienced quarterback?
Van Pelt is anticipated to have a “heavy hand” in selecting the Patriots’ starting quarterback for the upcoming campaign, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, despite Mayo’s recent indications that the team will select their No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
This may make it more likely that the Patriots will target Baker Mayfield, the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a player Van Pelt is already familiar with. Though only for three seasons, the two were in Cleveland before Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the following offseason.
October 11, 2020, Cleveland, Ohio, USA: During the second half of the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Indianapolis Colts at FirstEnergy Stadium, quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) speaks with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and head coach Kevin Stefanski.For USA TODAY Sports, Ken Blaze For USA TODAY Sports, Ken Blaze Though that trade might imply that Mayfield wasn’t the quarterback that Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Brent Van Pelt had in mind for their franchise, the former first overall pick has a chance to change their minds following a breakout season with the Buccaneers.
After a difficult 2022 in which the Panthers cut Mayfield after a 1-5 start to the season, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams, who were in need of a quarterback after Matthew Stafford was injured. Mayfield worked with Sean McVay in Los Angeles for the rest of the season, and he did well enough to sign a free agent contract with the Buccaneers last offseason. Even though Mayfield was playing in the big shoes of former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa, he still had a career-year. The 28-year-old quarterback led the Buccaneers to a 9-8 regular season record while throwing for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 games.
In fact, Mayfield contributed to the Bucs’ victory in a postseason game. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the Wild Card round before losing to the Detroit Lions in the following round. Liked: Swing on the West Coast? Patriots Want to Hire Former Seahawks Coach to Head Up the Offense Due to his excellent play, he is expected to be among the best quarterbacks available during this offseason’s free agency period. According to Pro Football Focus’ most recent contract projection, he will earn $25 million annually.
With a projected salary of $66 million, the Patriots have plenty of cap space to make the move this offseason, according to OverTheCap. If the objective is to find a quarterback to replace Brady, then why not select someone who has experience in the position already?
