Baker Mayfield Takes to Instagram to Explain Comments on Daniel Jones

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is quickly learning the laws of social media. If something he said during a long-form interview can be taken out of context and used in a manner in which he didn’t intend, it will assuredly happen. The perfect example of this was a quote from a discussion with GQ in which Mayfield appeared to take a shot at New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. The Browns star said that he couldn’t believe that the Giants took Jones.

In response to the outcry on social media, Mayfield took to Instagram to explain what he meant by the quote to GQ. As he wrote, the purpose was not to insult the Giants rookie quarterback or take shots at anyone in particular.

He was simply trying to explain how the NFL views incoming quarterbacks. Mayfield also said that the media will do anything to create click-bait articles to get attention.

In the original story by GQ, Mayfield said that he could not believe that the Giants took Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick. In fact, he said that it blows his mind. In response, Clay Skipper of GQ asked Mayfield why he believes that NFL GMs miss on their selections of top picks during the draft.

“Some people overthink it,” Mayfield says. “That’s where people go wrong. They forget you’ve gotta win.”

Interestingly enough, Mayfield was the first overall pick during the 2018 NFL Draft, which surprised many people. Sam Darnold was slated to be the top pick, but the Browns instead opted for the fiery QB from Oklahoma. Everything has seemed to work out all right for both teams considering that Mayfield took the Browns to the cusp of the playoffs in his rookie season while Darnold showed flashes of a generational talent.

Will Jones produce at a similar level for the Giants? He will have to start his career as the backup to Eli Manning, but the belief is that the rookie from Duke will be the top quarterback for years to come. And with his 80-percent completion rate and two touchdowns in two brief appearances, Jones is starting to build a fanbase of his own.

As it turns out, Mayfield may soon be one of those fans. In his explanation on Instagram, the Browns quarterback finished by stating that he has heard nothing but good things about Jones and that he wishes nothing but the best for the rookie. Whether this was lip service or truthful remains to be seen, but Mayfield certainly learned a valuable lesson about watching what he says.