Andrew Berry discusses the potential impact of Josh Allen’s deal on Baker Mayfield

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Bills quarterback Josh Allen broke the bank on Friday. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is also set to strike a potential new bank-breaking deal.

After Allen’s contract was announced, Browns general manager Andrew Berry appeared on ESPN Cleveland to discuss the potential impact of Allen’s deal on Mayfield.

“I think for any player or positional market we are always up to date with the deals that have been done in the last couple of years and certainly any new deals that come up in the next couple of weeks because we realize that has an impact on the market. to a certain degree, ”Berry said. “But at the same time, with any player that we’re looking to expand, we’re really dealing with it on a case-by-case and individual level and really operating within parameters that we think make sense for our organization and our team and that’s what we ‘I will continue to do through the positions.

Several years ago, the next quarterback for a new deal usually earned a little more than the last quarterback received. As these agreements get bigger and more complicated, that presumption has faded. Now teams are looking more at the player and less at the fact that the next man automatically sets the bar higher.

Objectively, Allen is more accomplished than Mayfield. The idea that Allen’s deal should be the baseline for Mayfield might therefore not be accepted by the Browns.

Mayfield may not like it. And he can respond by committing to be even better in 2021 than he was, and then wanting even more in 2022.

This is the risk that a team takes in the meantime. In Mayfield’s case, however, all of his work suggests it makes sense to give him another season. For the Bills, it made sense to sign Allen now.

Whatever the details, it won’t be cheap for the Browns to keep Mayfield for the long haul. The question is whether, once the deal is done, the Browns will be justified in the expense – or whether they will eventually regret it, as the Rams and Eagles did with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively.