Getty Images Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns have yet to trade quarterback Baker Mayfield but are expected to do so before the NFL draft, perhaps to a quarterback-needy team that needs to fill a void for one season. However, the market for Mayfield has been limited, creating an interesting situation for a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mayfield could be a long-term option for the Bucs, who will have a 45-year-old quarterback, Tom Brady, under center.
After dismissing the Seattle Seahawks as destination for Mayfield, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said he could see Mayfield landing in Tampa Bay as a high-profile backup to Brady – if the price were right.
“I don’t know how much interest Seattle has at that price. If the price comes down and the Browns are willing to eat a lot of it, maybe we are talking. But I don’t know about that,” Rapoport said on the April 14 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “My sense is the Panthers would be a good spot. Or a really good backup spot, where he would come in as a $7 million or $6 million backup and be the heir apparent somewhere.”
He added: “Tampa would be a great spot. That would be an interesting spot and not crazy and would probably make some sense.”
Would you rather have @bakermayfield or one of these rookie QBs from this year’s #NFLDraft?
@RapSheet on the market for BM6:
Browns Will Likely Deal Mayfield Before Draft
It appears that any move involving Mayfield would leave the Browns eating a chunk of his near $19 million salary for next season. Cleveland has been patient on finding a taker for Mayfield, but time is starting to run out with the draft starting on April 28.
Rapoport said teams would need to evaluate whether Mayfield would be a better option than a quarterback available in the draft.
“A real and true deadline is before the draft,” Rapoport told Eisen. “If you are a team that might think about taking [a quarterback], do you say, ‘We’re going to take Baker Mayfield — who has a really high ceiling, a pretty high price tag that will probably be eaten up a little by the Browns — and we’re good at quarterback’? That could happen before the draft and that will set up some draft boards and shake things up a little bit.”
The Browns currently have four quarterbacks on the roster: Mayfield, Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs. Some have speculated that the team would hang on to Mayfield in case of a Watson suspension, although the likelihood of Mayfield ever sporting orange and brown again seems slim to none.
Mayfield Sees Seattle as Favorite for His Services
Mayfield caused a stir this week with his April 13 appearance on the “YNK: you know what I mean?” podcast, where he spoke about his situation with the Browns. He said that he initially thought the Indianapolis Colts would be his best fit but had since shifted to Seattle.
“About a week and a half ago, I would’ve said Indianapolis,” Mayfield said. “Seattle would probably be the most likely option, but even then I have no idea.”
Mayfield’s tenure in Cleveland has been a mixed bag. After setting the rookie touchdown record during his first season, he led the team to their first postseason berth in nearly two decades in 2020. However, last season Mayfield tossed just 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions while battling injuries, slumping down the stretch as the team finished 8-9.