Baker Mayfield missed out on winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the year by five votes to New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
In that voting process, the Cleveland Browns quarterback found his offseason impetus.
"Yeah, I'll use it as motivation,'' Mayfield said Wednesday, via Cleveland.com. "But the more important thing is winning football games. Yeah, it's more frustrating than anything because Saquon, that's my guy and he'll hold it over my head forever. But you know what, I'll use that as motivation and I'll be better in the long run."
Mayfield was the catalyst behind the Browns' late-season surge that saw them finish 7-8-1 following the 0-16 campaign of 2017. The electric rookie absolutely has the right to feel snubbed for the OROY award. Even with Barkley's great statistical season, Mayfield played the most important position in football at an extremely high level for a rookie down the stretch, setting the record for most touchdowns by a pro freshman with 27 in only 13 starts.
In less than a year as the starting quarterback, Mayfield almost single-handedly turned the Browns from a laughingstock into a surefire offseason darling this summer.
Losing the rookie of the year honor also cost Mayfield a chain, as the two amicable players had a friendly wager on the outcome.
"It'll say 'Quads' on it," Mayfield said, referring to Barkley's well-known giant thighs. "Not 'Sa-quads' but just 'Quads.' The two extra letters in there cost a little bit extra money, so we'll stick with just 'Quads.'"