Getty Baker Mayfield, of the Cleveland Browns, looks on during warm up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
A trade market for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield appears no longer to exist, at least for now, but a long-time AFC rival remains a potential landing spot for the spurned signal caller by another path.
ESPN’s Jake Trotter appeared on ESPN Cleveland radio Wednesday morning, March 23, and provided an update on how he sees the situation between Mayfield and the Browns playing out.
.@Jake_Trotter on @ESPNCleveland: “At this point I don’t think Baker Mayfield is going to be traded. I think he’s going to be released…”
“At this point, I don’t think Baker Mayfield is going to be traded,” Trotter said, per Aaron Goldhammer of ESPN Cleveland. “I think he’s going to be released.”
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, another Browns insider, appeared on the March 21 edition of “The Orange and Browns Talk,” where she said that if Mayfield is released, the rival Pittsburgh Steelers will swoop in and add him.
“I knew as of Thursday that the phone was not ringing off the hook for Baker Mayfield and this would get a little challenging,” Cabot said. “The Steelers will pounce on Baker Mayfield if he becomes available, like if [the Browns] cut him, and he’s just out there. They would take him in a minute, and I’m sure a lot of people would if you could get him for nothing and the Browns have to eat that money.”
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger retired at the end of last season. The team signed free agent Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal on March 15 after the quarterback spent a year rehabilitating his image with the Buffalo Bills. Trubisky was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2017 and earned the sole Pro-Bowl selection of his career the following year. Both Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins also remain on the Steelers’ roster as second-string and third-string options, respectively.
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Release of Mayfield Would Be Curious Move by Browns
GettyQB Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns plays against the Detroit Lions at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 21, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Motivations behind a choice to release Mayfield are murky at best. Cleveland picked up his fifth-year option at the cost of just under $19 million. If the Browns can’t trade Mayfield, they would be on the hook for his 2022 salary, even if he was released and picked up by another franchise.
There is something to be said about team chemistry and keeping Mayfield on the roster seems a precarious proposition, to say the least. The quarterback demanded a trade out of Cleveland after the team first met with Deshaun Watson on March 15, saying he would sit out all activities until his demand was met. The Browns responded swiftly saying that they would not honor his request. However, Cleveland then upped the offer for Watson to $230 million over five years and got a deal done.
Watson, 26, is likely to face some kind of suspension from the NFL over the 22 active civil cases filed against him alleging illegal behavior ranging from sexual misconduct to sexual assault. The Browns signed free agent Jacoby Brissett to serve as Watson’s backup, and the job will presumably be his for however long Watson is forced to sit on the sidelines.
If Cleveland can’t trade Mayfield and isn’t worried about chemistry issues, they could keep him rostered and try to convince him that playing in Watson’s stead will up his trade value and, by extension, his value on any future contract.
The Browns could also keep Mayfield on the roster and away from the facility, which seems the course more likely aligned with both the team’s and the QB’s thinking. Under this scenario, Cleveland can wait for unfortunate developments to befall other teams, such as poor quarterback play or injuries under center, which are inevitabilities across any NFL season. The Browns may then try again to trade Mayfield once a fringe contender becomes desperate for a starting-caliber QB.
The latter path would be less risky for both Mayfield and the Browns, and might allow Cleveland to get something back in return for the former No. 1 overall pick instead of having to part with a draft selection simply to offload his contract.
NFL Insider Says Seahawks Remain Viable Trade Partner for Mayfield
GettySeattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Ideally, the Browns would trade Mayfield for a pick of some kind before April’s NFL Draft so they could use that return to improve their roster for the 2022 season. But according to ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Cleveland will likely have to surrender a draft pick to move the quarterback within that time window.
On the March 22 edition of “The Mina Kimes Show Featuring Lenny,” Kimes suggested that the Seattle Seahawks are probably the last team remaining in the trade market for Mayfield. She added they will only be interested in the QB if the Browns throw in a third-round or fourth-round selection as compensation.
“I don’t think [Mayfield] is as bad as the perception [of him] is right now based on the injured season,” Kimes said. “But you gotta get a draft pick to take on that salary. You certainly can’t give away [a pick]. When this all started, people were talking about a third-round draft pick [in return for Mayfield]. No, absolutely not. [Cleveland] has no leverage right now.”