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The Cleveland Browns have yet to trade quarterback Baker Mayfield and are not expected to for at least the next month.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport joined the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and was asked about when the much-anticipated trade could go down with the draft having come and gone without much conversation.
“The problem is when you get to this point in the NFL calendar is that there are no deadlines,” Rapoport told McAfee. “Teams will settle in now for OTAs and rookie minicamp. Everything is going to slow down and I don’t anticipate anything happening with Baker until June. … You are starting to get into a real dead period now.”
The Browns had a couple of suitors prior to the draft in the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, although reports point to both squads moving on from the idea of trading for the former top pick.
The Browns have dubbed the situation as “fluid” and aren’t in any rush to make a move.
“It is a fluid situation,” general manager Andrew Berry said during the draft. “We will deal with it day by day. We are pleased with the weekend and pleased with the guys that we added.”
While the Browns are in a tough spot, Berry did not characterize the situation as being overly dramatic.
“I would not say it is any more challenging than really a lot of situations that cross a general manager’s desk,” he said.
Unlikely Mayfield Mends Relationship With Browns
There’s been the argument that the Browns could decide to keep Mayfield on the roster and actually start him if newly-acquired star quarterback Deshaun Watson is suspended. However, that seems unlikely considering how the relationship between Mayfield and the Browns fell apart.
On the April 13 episode of “YNK: you know what I mean?,” Mayfield said he felt disrespected by the franchise that took him No. 1 overall in the 2018 draft.
“I have no regrets of my time in Cleveland, of what I tried to give to that place,” Mayfield said. “The respect thing is all going to be a personal opinion. I feel disrespected, 100%. I was told one thing, and they completely did another.
“That’s what I’m in the middle of right now. And you know what? I got my taste of it because I’ve had four different head coaches in four years. 2021 was miserable – bunch of different coordinators. I’m just looking for stabilization right now.”
Berry pushed back against the narrative that they did not keep Mayfield informed with what they were doing.
“We were very transparent with his reps,” Berry told reporters during a pre-draft press conference April 22. “We can all understand how Baker feels. … Baker is a competitive and driven young man. he’s had success as a quarterback and will continue to have success as a quarterback.”
Mayfield Looking for Bounce Back Year to Secure Future
Mayfield talent hasn’t been the issue in finding a trade partner. It’s been the near $19 million contract he carries thanks to the Browns picking up his fifth-year option last offseason.
Mayfield’s four-year tenure in Cleveland has been a mixed bag. After setting the rookie touchdown record in 2018 and leading the team to their first postseason berth in nearly two decades in 2020, Mayfield tossed just 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions last season, slumping down the stretch as the team finished 8-9.
He played most of the year banged up with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. Mayfield had surgery this offseason and is expected to be ready for camp.
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