Do you have this same energy for David Njoku who also requested a trade or does this stuff only apply to OBJ? Has Higgins not been in contract negotiations every off season?
Should we be looking at Baker sideways for not having his contract situation resolved headed into this season? He’s the AB and ten supposed leader of the team and he doesn’t have a new contract either. He’s not committed to the team long term either and everything Baker has said since the PIT game sounds like a guy who is not committed here long term.
So does any of the stuff you’re saying about OBJ apply to other players too? Also those guys all seem well liked by their teammates except for one who seems to have gone down his own path…….
No offense Los, but I’m not wasting my time and energy arguing with a guy who’s literally an obsessed OBJ fan boy. It’s a futile effort. We won't see eye to eye. I don't think anyone else wants to see another lengthy OBJ discussion either.
I’ll touch on the other situations though, since they’re all different from OBJ’s:
As far as Njoku goes… the Browns just gave a big money contact to Hooper and used a 4th round pick on Bryant. Njoku wanted playing time and was looking at 3rd on the depth chart. Similar situation happened with Duke Johnson when he asked to be traded. Once he realized Stefanski is a TE whore he changed his tune. Also, the team had not won anything prior to that point. They were a clown show his first few years on the team. So, a former first round pick, seemingly buried on the depth chart on a bad team… I get it.
Higgins is in contract negotiations every year because he’s JAG. If he was more than that he’d be getting more than 1 year slightly above vet minimum offers from teams. It's a sign of growth as an organization that the Browns aren't throwing big money and a long term deal at him just because he's a fan favorite who is a 600 yard guy at his best. The market, two years in a row, has dictated his worth.
Baker's situation is difficult because he’s a QB that’s looked like a franchise QB at times, and looked like a replacement level guy at others. 2018 had a fantastic rookie year. 2019 definite sophomore slump, was out of shape, sloppy, and played pretty awful. The team was also a dumpster fire from a leadership standpoint with Dorsey/Kitchens, so new regime came in. They basically considered his first two years as a wash and it was a clean slate. Baker played well in 2020 but he also played well in 2018. Playing well is not playing elite. I can't fault the team for wanting to see more before paying him top 5-10 QB money, and I can't blame Baker for wanting to cash in on a solid statistical season and leading the franchise to a playoff win for the first time in 30 years. They're both taking a wait and see approach for their own personal reasons. Nothing wrong with that. If Baker becomes elite, he'll get paid by the Browns. If he continues to be an inconsistent mid-tier starter he's either gone or sticking around on a short term deal making the money that type of player earns. Again, kudos to the Browns for not overreacting and overpaying someone just because they're experiencing some success for the first time in a long time.
Now, we have OBJ, who asked to be traded after the franchise's best season in 30 years, and winning a playoff game was done without him. What was learned from the loss to the Chiefs, in addition to what we already knew about the defense needing an overhaul, was that a #1 WR was necessary. A healthy OBJ was supposed to be that guy. He had a role here. He saw targets. He was used on gadget plays. The team valued him. He was properly compensated. Despite all that? He didn't want to be here and he asked out. Sure, he came back and played, but he looked like he was going through the motions and then quit midseason to go elsewhere. He wanted a destination that was both a lock for the playoffs and also good for his brand. He got what he wanted. It is what it is now, but it's not apples to apples with the other situations you mentioned. It's just not.
