CLEVELAND — The news and numbers were impossible to ignore.
No matter how intense the focus.
Baker Mayfield saw Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s contract extension Friday — $258 million, $150 million guaranteed, $43 million average per season — and was happy for Allen and the quarterback position.
But Mayfield, who’s eligible for an extension, isn’t budging when it comes to his priorities.
“I’m worried about winning right now,” he said Sunday after the Orange & Brown Practice at FirstEnergy Stadium. “I don’t know the timeline on (an extension). We haven’t talked about it because I’m worried about winning this season.”
Contract talks have yet to start between the Browns and Mayfield’s agents. General manager Andrew Berry said recently he’s OK if negotiations happen once the season starts. Mayfield doesn’t care.
“I’m not doing the negotiations, so quite frankly, I don’t give a damn,” he said. “I’m worried about winning Week 1 and going onto Week 2 and focusing on that week one week at a time.
“That’s my mindset, so no matter how many times I get asked this question throughout the year, it’s going to be the same answer, because that’s just the truth.”
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield surveys the field Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
COURTESY OF BROWNS
Mayfield has the chance to receive more than $100 million guaranteed in an extension, but coach Kevin Stefanski said he hasn’t seen the speculation affect his performance.
“I see him locked in,” Stefanski said. “I think our guys are professionals. They understand there’s a business side to this, but we keep it focused on practice, on the meeting room, that type of thing.”
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Mayfield is signed through 2022 after the Browns picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. If a deal doesn’t get done this year, they can try again next offseason.
Allen signed a six-year extension that runs through 2028. He was the No. 7 pick in 2018, six slots after the Browns started the draft by choosing Mayfield.
“I’m very happy for Josh,” Mayfield said. “I think Josh is a great guy. Going through that (draft) process with him, I’m very happy for him.
“He’s in a tradition-rich town like Buffalo, they’re lucky to have a quarterback like him that cares about it, lives that same mindset that they do up in Buffalo.”
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Allen’s deal is the second-largest in NFL history for total dollars and average per year. The guaranteed money is a record.
“I’m worried about winning, I think the rest will take care of itself,” Mayfield said. “It’s good for the quarterback position overall. I’d be lying if we said otherwise.”
The stadium practice was the 10th in training camp for the full squad. The learning curve is much smaller for Mayfield in the second year in Stefanski’s system and with all the key offensive pieces returning.
“We have gotten better as the days go on,” Mayfield said. “I think we are learning what we are trying to expand on offensively. We are doing a better job of taking care of the ball.
“Situationally today, we did some two-minute stuff — I have to be a lot better on that. As this camp goes on, we need to continue to stress situational importance of third downs, two minutes and taking care of the ball. Just keep emphasizing everything we need to as the year goes on.”
The first-team offense was 0-for-2 in the two-minute, and Mayfield threw four straight passes out of bounds on the second attempt. He fared better earlier in the day.
“He is pushing along. He has had some really good moments and some moments to learn from. That is the natural course of training camp,” Stefanski said. “I think the defense has made our offense really, really work. They have done a nice job of being tight in coverage. The pass rush and the run fits have been outstanding.
“It is a really good battle back and forth. I know you want to score every practice, but I think these guys are trading blows every day.”
As Mayfield talked to reporters on the sideline, fans stood in the first few rows of the stands and chanted “Super Bowl.” He set out to change the standard when he arrived in Cleveland and has succeeded.
“I said it after we clinched the playoff berth against the Steelers right over here about 10 yards away,” he said, referring to the win in last year’s regular-season finale. “That is what we came in to do. My draft class and the free agents that came in, we have just been trying to change the culture and set the standard to what it used to be of a winning football culture.
“We have to expect greatness, and you have to strive for that every day. We have a great locker room right now and a great staff that is pushing to do so.”
