Mark Wahlberg Reacts To Friend Baker Mayfield Getting Traded
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JULY 20: Baker Mayfield of Carolina Panthers looks on prior to the Pre-Season Friendly match between Chelsea FC and Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on July 20, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg has strong ties to Cleveland sports and considers now-former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield a friend. He once viewed Mayfield as a potential successor to Tom Brady on his beloved New England Patriots.
So in the wake of Baker being unceremoniously traded to the Carolina Panthers, Wahlberg has some words for the former No. 1 overall pick. Speaking to TMZ, Wahlberg lamented that Mayfield won't be going to his Patriots and says that he's still a fan of him.
But Wahlberg also acknowledged that the Patriots are too stacked at quarterback to bring Mayfield into the fold. He still believes that Mayfield has "a big, bright future ahead of him."
"It's a very stacked field at the quarterback position," Wahlberg said. "It also has to do with the coach and the team, but he's got a big, bright future ahead of him."
In 2020, Baker Mayfield helped lead the Cleveland Browns to their first playoff win in over 25 years. But the following season, he fell down to earth and struggled to find the same success before injuries ended ended his season.
The Browns decided to go in a new direction early in the 2022 offseason, making a blockbuster trade for Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson. They let Mayfield languish in uncertainty for months before trading him to the Panthers.
The Browns and Panthers will play each other in Week 1 of the season.
That will be a highly-anticipated potential revenge game for Mayfield if he gets the starting job.
