Browns Confirm Baker Mayfield's Season Over, Surgery ASAP

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that quarterback Baker Mayfield won't play in the team's Week 18 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, as the quarterback will undergo surgery "as soon as possible."

"Baker won't play in this last game, we're going to hold him out," he said. "He's going to get surgery scheduled as soon as possible so he can get back healthy as soon as possible."

Stefanski added he does not have a timetable on the QB's recovery.

The head coach said all decisions up to this point were made according to all information available at the time and said he's frustrated that the quarterback won't have a chance to finish the season.

After Monday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield said that he would undergo surgery on the torn left labrum that has bothered him for the bulk of the season — he suffered the injury in Week 2 and reinjured it in Week 6.

"We weren't able to get it done last night and it wasn't for a lack of effort, we just weren't good enough … and it cost us," Stefanski said. "We got to make sure to put this one behind us ..."

Moving forward, we know it will be Case Keenum under center versus Cincinnati.

Around the NFL reports that with his surgery ahead, questions will naturally turn to the former No. 1 overall pick's future in Cleveland.

Mayfield — who was expected to strike a lucrative long-term contract with the Browns heading into this season — is due $18.858 million fully guaranteed on his fifth-year option in 2022.

Follow Meg Turner on Twitter @Megnturner_ and Instagram @Megnturner.

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