Baker Mayfield finally looked like the guy in Cleveland in 2020.In his third season with the Browns, the 2018 first overall pick led the team to an 11-5 campaign as they reached the playoffs, beat the Steelers in the wild card round and nearly beat the Chiefs in the divisional round. The narrative that following offseason was how long it would take until the .Fast-forward a year, and the discu sion post-2021 was much Shea Theodore Jersey different. Mayfield's 2021 campaign was hampered by a shoulder injury, but the i sues extended far beyond that. Midseason, a rift between Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. led to the star receiver heading to Los Angeles, where he went on to win a Super Bowl. Mayfield looked bad, and Browns, in a campaign that began with potential Super Bowl hype, ended with an 8-9 record and a third place finish in the AFC North.Despite all the problems during the season, there were still some who believed there was a chance Mayfield could return to quarterback the Browns in 2021. When it looked like the , it looked like he would still be on the roster when training camp began despite requesting a trade. Could he even start?MORE: Then the Browns acquired Watson, then Jacoby Bri sett and, as training camps began, Mayfield was traded to the Panthers. He'll begin his Carolina career facing Cleveland in a Week 1 revenge game.Mayfield was never going to end up starting another game for the Browns, as reports post-trade have indicated. Here's what ultimately led to the end of the Mayfield era in Cleveland. The drama reportedly began before the 2021 season began. this past July after Mayfield was traded to the Panthers that the QB was frustrated over a lack of extension talks from the team despite the team picking up his fifth-year option for the 2022 season.The 2021 season should have been the year the Browns took the next step. They were poised to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender and take their turn capturing the AFC North.Even after a narrow Week 1 lo s to the Chiefs, expectations remained high. The Browns stayed in the game late, and lost only 33-29. It looked like they could hang with the best of the best.But in Week 2, he sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder trying to make a tackle on an interception. The injury was exacerbated in Week 6 against the Cardinals that kept him out for the team's next game against the Broncos. He also had a knee injury in Week 10 against the Patriots, but returned the next week to face the Lions. He only mi sed two more games the rest of the season: one due to COVID-19 protocols in Week 15 and the final game of the year against the Bengals as he underwent surgery. Trevor Lewis Women Jersey MORE: Along the way from that Sept. 12 game against the Chiefs to that Jan. 9 game against the Bengals, tensions began to grow in the locker room.At the Nov. 2 trade deadline, Beckham Erik Johnson Jersey 's father posted a video on Instagram showing the QB mi sing his son on pa ses and blaming him for the Beckham's down year. Beckham never spoke out against those claims, and three days later, he was cut and signed with the Rams.Trotter reported that Beckham was popular in the locker room, and that many wanted him to stay. When Mayfield left, a source told Trotter the exit "poisoned the well" for Mayfield. One player said he hadn't seen the video of Mayfield mi sing Beckham, but added that "I see it every day in practice."Mayfield gradually lost confidence in himself, and Trotter reported that came with a soured relationship with coach Kevin Stefanski. Mayfield called out Stefanski publicly as he was sacked nine times against the Steelers in his final game as a Brown on Jan. 3. As the season neared its end, .MORE: During the 2022 NFL Combine, Browns general manager Andrew Berry told Mayfield's agent the team was going to explore adding a star QB, and after Watson was cleared by a grand jury, the team went all in on Watson, per Trotter.Publicly, however, that was not the signal that was sent out. During the combine, it appeared despite reports that the team was exploring quarterback options.March finally put an end to any reasonable public thought Mayfield could actually appear again for Cleveland. in Cleveland thanking them for everything, while saying he didn't know what was going to happen next after reporters the Browns' owners had visited with Watson. Then reported the which Trotter later wrote was "the final straw for Mayfield."The next day, it was from the Browns, saying that it was "in the best interests of both sides to move on," . Then, .That didn't complete end the drama. Nearly two weeks later, Mayfield was still a Brown, Jordan Nolan Jersey and that there was a po sibility of keeping Mayfield on the roster, calling him a profe sional and saying they had room with their cap flexibility to hold onto his $18.8 million contract.MORE: Mayfield certainly did not make it seem like there was any chance for reconciliation. He said on the podcast that and said he was looking for "stabilization."When the team's minicamp arrived in early June, Stefanski told reporters the from attending the mandatory minicamp and saying it was "the best decision for both sides." As if that wasn't enough confirmation Mayfield would not be returning, that both sides were "ready to move on."Just over a week later, the inevitable arrived. for a conditional fifth-round draft pick. The Browns even .This week, now former teammate in an interview with Cleveland.com. Garrett explained that he left Mayfield on read after the QB sent along a farewell text me sage to Zac Rinaldo Youth Jersey the pa s rusher, and further explained the working relationship between the two had peaks and valleys throughout their partnership.He said he appreciated the time we got to spend together and getting to know each other and growing together. I really I didnt say anything. I didnt really have much to say and I didnt know how reply to it, so I didnt.I read (the text) but you know, there were some disagreements we had at a base level and Im not mad at the guy or feeling any way towards it, but I just didnt know how to reply to that, so I didnt. But I still think hes a hell of a competitor and hes a great guy to have on your side and Im rooting for him. I think he has a great family, but hes the opposition now, and at the end of the day, Ive got to take him out.Mayfield will now be on the other side of the field from Stefanski and the rest of the Browns, and if there's one thing that has defined Mayfield from his time at Oklahoma through his Browns' tenure, it's that he's at his best with a chip on his shoulder. But given the way things ended, .