Baker Mayfield has a clear lead over Deshaun Watson since leaving the Cleveland Browns

Did the Cleveland Browns make a mistake by letting Baker Mayfield go in 2021?

Back to the summer of 2022: In the wake of a series of assault allegations from several alleged victims, Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a large number of draft picks – and with it a historic five-year, $230 million contract for Watson. At the time, it was the largest contract in NFL history.

Meanwhile, Mayfield spent his first season out of Cleveland as part of the Carolina Panthers before being released and placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Rams. Mayfield made a comeback of sorts with the Rams in the second half of the 2022 season, which earned the former first-round pick a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023.

During that time, Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of 2022, then played in the final few games of the season. The 2023 season started out well for the former Clemson product, but he suffered a displaced glenoid fracture during the Browns' Week 10 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Watson finished the game, but after waiting a few days, it was determined he would need to undergo season-ending surgery to repair the fracture.

Hundreds of miles away, Mayfield led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC South division title and a stunning victory over the then-defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wild-card round.

Similar to Watson, Mayfield would get a great new contract – even though his contract was only for three years and $100 million.

Let's get back to the present: Week 1 couldn't have gone any other way for the two playmakers who will always be closely intertwined depending on how the 2022 offseason pans out. Mayfield and the Bucs steamrolled the Washington Commanders in Week 1, led by, you guessed it, Mayfield with his 289 yards and four touchdowns.

Watson and the Browns, on the other hand, were embarrassed at home by the Dallas Cowboys. Watson was a big reason for that, as the $230 million man threw for just 169 yards and two interceptions in the crushing loss.

We'll leave it up to you…who has been better since Watson joined the Cleveland Browns?

Baker Mayfield

• 2022 (Carolina and Los Angeles): 12 games played, 2,163 yards, 10 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
• 2023 (Tampa Bay): 17 games played, 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
• 2024 (Tampa Bay): 1 game played, 289 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
• In total: 30 games played, 6,496 yards, 42 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 63.3% completion, 90.9 rating, 1 playoff win

Deshaun Watson

• 2022 (Cleveland): 6 games played, 1,102 yards, 7 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
• 2023 (Cleveland): 6 games played, 1,115 yards, 7 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
• 2024 (Cleveland): 1 game played, 169 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
• In total: 13 games played, 2,386 yards, 15 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 59.1% completion, 78.1 rating, 0 playoff wins

Mayfield and the Bucs will look to continue their winning streak in Week 2 when they travel to the Motor City for a showdown with the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT) (on FOX).

Meanwhile, the Browns will look to bounce back next weekend when Watson and Co. travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT) on CBS.