The Cleveland Browns made the fateful decision to trade Baker Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Mayfield played with the Carolina Panthers before making a stop with the Los Angeles Rams before ultimately signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the season.
Nobody expected Mayfield to totally replace future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. But not many people probably expected Mayfield to lead the Buccaneers to an upset victory of the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Yet that’s exactly what happened. Mayfield threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-9 win over the suddenly hapless Eagles. It was only the fourth 300-yard playoff performance in Buccaneers history. Brady has the other three.
The Browns, by contrast, spent $230 million in guaranteed money and massive draft capital to obtain former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson has yet to play a full season with the Browns, as he missed 11 games last season, serving a suspension for gross sexual misconduct. A shoulder injury sidelined Watson for the season this year, too.
The Browns lost to Watson’s former team, the Texans, on Saturday in humiliating fashion. The Buccaneers, for their part, advanced to the next round of the playoffs where they’ll face the Detroit Lions.
