Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield spent the week in Atlanta on the interview circuit as part of Super Bowl 53 festivities leading up to Sunday's matchup between the Patriots and Rams.

Mayfield continued to notice a trend even he didn't expect to be that strong in the city: He saw Browns jerseys.

"There are actually quite a few Browns fans here," Mayfield told Sporting News. "I just feel like everywhere I go somebody has a story about Cleveland or a connection to the city of Cleveland. I think that's what makes it so much fun. It's a big family town, and that's why you have to enjoy it."

Mayfield is that NFL connection to Cleveland now. The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft set the single-season rookie record with 27 touchdown passes. The Browns finished 7-8-1 just one year after an 0-16 season. The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma is among the top candidates for Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, which will be announced Saturday.

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Mayfield buzz will be amplified in Year 2

Mayfield is more than just a connection to the fan base; he is the leading connection for a city longing to make its first Super Bowl appearance. Mayfield ranked No. 7 in NFL jersey sales in 2018: fourth among quarterbacks behind the Patriots' Tom Brady, the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and the Saints' Drew Brees. Those three quarterbacks played on conference championship weekend.

Baker Mayfield says he saw a lot of Browns fans during his Super Bowl week in Atlanta. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Tostitos)

Throughout his appearances on the media circuit this week, Mayfield spoke about wanting to be the leader of a team that can make the Super Bowl in the future. First, though, he has to lead the franchise to its first playoff run since 2002. With Mayfield leading the offense and fellow No. 1 pick Myles Garrett leading the defense, that is possible.

"It's the direction we're headed in right now," Mayfield said. "It's not a sure thing that we're going to make the playoffs, but we have the foundation now and the right culture around it to work toward that. Now we can work on the little things and improve. I'm excited about where it's headed."

"We've been through some ups and downs," he said. "It's a learning process, and you've got to put it all together. I've got to be that leader every day for them."

Cleveland also appears to have the right leaders around its franchise quarterback. The Browns promoted Freddie Kitchens, who was interim offensive coordinator after Hue Jackson was fired last season, to head coach on Jan. 12. He promptly declared at his introductory news conference that "if you don't wear brown and orange, you don't matter."

MORE: Clear before move that Kitchens needed to be part of Mayfield's future

The odd-couple dynamic of Mayfield and Kitchens will be interesting to watch develop. Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick have combined for nine Super Bowl appearances, which is the standard, but there's the hope Kitchens-Mayfield can become a successful variation of the Jared Goff-Sean McVay pairing with the Rams.

"I trust Freddie Kitchens, and you saw that when he was calling plays in the second half of the year," Mayfield said. "We have a lot of trust and a very good relationship."

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Cleveland general manager John Dorsey hired Kitchens soon after taking over in 2017, and last offseason the Browns made a flurry of trades to improve the roster. The NFL Players Association tweeted that the Browns have the most cap space carryover heading into 2019, $56.5 million. San Francisco is second at $35 million. There's a lot of room for more roster upgrades, and Mayfield sees that opportunity — even if he prefers to stay out of the way.

"With Dorsey, he's a football mind," Mayfield said. "He knows exactly what he's doing. Whatever they do, we have a lot of cap room and the ability to make moves, but that's their call. Whatever team they have, I'm going to be that same guy for them every day and lead the players we have."

Mayfield could be the first Browns players to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors since Jim Brown in 1957, but the former college walk-on is not resting on that success heading into his second season — a schedule that features matchups against the other four first-round quarterbacks in the 2018 class: the Ravens' Lamar Jackson, the Bills' Josh Allen, the Cardinals' Josh Rosen and the Jets' Sam Darnold. The way Mayfield sees it, there is always something more to prove.

"You have to hit the reset button," he said. "What I've done in the past doesn't matter. We have to build on what we've done. We have to play it week by week, and that is the mindset I've always had."

MORE: Five key Mayfield quotes

With that mindset, Mayfield figures to build an even stronger connection with Cleveland in Year 2. He felt connected in his first NFL appearance against the Jets on "Thursday Night Football" and again in the home finale against Cincinnati after he challenged the fans to be a presence.

"That first win said a lot about the town," Mayfield said. "They care about their football. It's a football town. They deserve to have a good football team. It was how excited they got throughout the year. Our last home game against the Bengals I called out the fans, and they rose to the occasion. Between those two, those were the two best experiences I had with them."

There are more to follow. Cleveland figures to be the "it" team of the offseason, where the foundation means playoff talk is real. There will be real-time enthusiasm in Northeast Ohio all offseason, and for the first time in a long time there won't be a question about who will be under center.

That's because Mayfield is the long-sought answer and the most popular player at the position since Bernie Kosar.



Browns fans have their guy; it's Baker. (Getty Images)

With that connection secure, he is simply waiting on the next opponent. What if that happens to be the Patriots coming off a Super Bowl championship? Well, he isn't taking that bait. Not yet anyway.

"I am looking forward any team we play in the opener," he said. "That game is always big. You've been waiting after a long (off)season, and you're wanting to get back at it. Whoever it is, I'm going to be excited."

Mayfield appeared at the Tostitos Cantina in Atlanta on Friday during Super Bowl week with other NFL stars. Tostitos is the official chip and dip of Super Bowl 53 and out to set the unofficial world record with a 53-hour livestream of a tortilla chip bowl. "Everybody is excited about the Super Bowl, and Tostitos does a good job of getting everybody together," Mayfield said.