Browns: Going after Aaron Rodgers would wreck the team’s future

In typical ESPN fashion, people are suggesting the Browns trade for Aaron Rodgers.

Never mind that a player who’s 37 should not be the building block of a football franchise, and never mind the fact that he wants to play in California or that the Green Bay Packers have no desire to trade Aaron Rodgers away. The simple fact that going out to acquire Rodgers by trade would simply destroy the future of the Browns is enough to not do it.

Yes, Rodgers has been better than Baker Mayfield, no one is denying that. Rodgers has won MVPs, SuperBowls, and all that jazz. The problem that comes with Rodgers is simple and one that fans need to start breaking away from; sacrificing your future for your present is pure stupidity.

Too often you’ll hear fans, columnists, or what have you say something like, “I’d do anything to win now!” As if there isn’t going to be a tomorrow. It’s shortsighted and wrongheaded. You wouldn’t run your own life that way, so why run a franchise that way? You’re not playing just for the 2021 season, but for the next decade-plus if you’re lucky.

Trading for Rodgers would harm the future of this franchise. In the case of Bill Barnwell, the solution is to trade Mayfield, tight end David Njoku, and two first-round picks for Rodgers. If you make that trade before next June 1st, you’re looking at a hit of $5 million by just trading Mayfield. Not to mention the fact you’d make it that much harder to continue a successful franchise after year one without the use of two first-round picks.

Then what happens if Rodgers doesn’t want to re-sign, falls off, or retires? Another 18 years of looking for a quarterback, all because some ESPN writer wants to play fantasy matchmaker? Finding a player as good as Mayfield is nearly impossible in a given year. Think about all the teams that are looking for new quarterbacks every year. There’s no guarantee the Browns find another good one right after Rodgers.

Giving up on Baker Mayfield is foolish.

Mayfield led the Browns to playoffs and if he had a better defense, may have not only been a higher rated team but probably would’ve won more playoff games.

Too many people are passing judgments against Mayfield as if he’s been one guy in a system for three years. He hasn’t and to be judged as he has is disingenuous. You have to judge him with all the factors in place.

He’s had four head coaches, three offensive systems, two GM’s, three offensive philosophies that were vastly different and required different personnel, no real defense, and, oh yeah, had to learn his latest scheme and offense during a global pandemic where meetings and practicing were harder than ever.

But sure, let’s just compare him to the first three years of Lamar Jackson; as if that’s a fair one-to-one.

Mayfield had one of the 10 best seasons statistically speaking last year, and he did it through some of the worst weather Cleveland has seen in some time, he did it without his best wide receivers, he did it with a rotating door of injured linemen and he did it with a first-time head coach.

All in all, he had a great year.

Rodgers is a great quarterback and ten years ago I don’t think anyone has an issue making a trade for a 27-year-old Rodgers for a 25-26-year-old Mayfield. It’s not 2011, however. It’s 2021. The call is Mayfield and it’s time to stop with the “if the Browns were serious, they’d go get Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers” arguments.

This isn’t Green Bay, who only has a quarterback, or Tampa Bay, who has a closing window to win. The Browns are in year two of a potential ten-year window. Why rush that? Stop with the clown-shoe-sized takes.

There’s no need to rush anything. It’s ok to let Cleveland be Cleveland.