Browns Change Course on Baker Mayfield Trade

Getty Images Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Cleveland Browns have yet to find a trade partner for Baker Mayfield but their latest concession could make it easier to deal the former top overall pick.

The sticking point in negotiations has been Mayfield’s salary, which is set at $18.9 million for next season. The Browns picked up his fifth-year option last offseason after he led them to a playoff win but the 2021-22 season didn’t go as planned. Mayfield struggled during an injury-riddled campaign, with the Browns going 8-9 and missing the postseason.

The Carolina Panthers have been the most active team in the Mayfield sweepstakes, with the sides discussing a deal as recently as mandatory minicamp. But again, the issue has been Mayfield’s salary, with the Panthers wanting the Browns to take on $13 million to $14 million, per the Charlotte Observer.

While the Browns are not willing to go that high, MMQB senior NFL reporter Albert Breer says they’re willing to eat half of his salary to get a deal done.

“They’re willing to take on a fair amount of Baker’s salary,” Breer said on Friday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show. “Like $9 or 10 million. So for people out there who think that Cleveland’s holding on to Baker as Deshaun [Watson] insurance, they wouldn’t be offering to take on a pretty significant portion of the guy’s salary if they were looking to hold him until there’s more clarity in the Deshaun Watson case.”

The amount of money the Browns have been willing to pay in a trade has fluctuated but eating about half should be enough to get teams interested. It was reported early on in the trade saga by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that the Browns were unwilling to pay any portion of Mayfield’s contract in a deal.

Breer went on to say that he feels confident a deal can get done to rev up the QB competition in Carolina.

“So do I think there’s a solution to be found here where the Panthers can go get Baker Mayfield and throw him into a competition with Sam Darnold and Matt Corral? I certainly think that that solution is out there,” Breer said.

Panthers Still Open to Adding QB to the Mix

The Panthers QB room is currently made up of PJ Walker, rookie Matt Corral and incumbent starter Sam Darnold. While Darnold is currently atop the depth chart, the Panthers have done little to show they’re committed to him or extinguish trade rumors.

Darnold — the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft behind Mayfield — passed for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 games with the Panthers last season as the team finished 5-12.

“At any position, if we can make a significant improvement, we absolutely should,” Rhule told reporters as the Panthers wrapped up minicamp on Thursday, June 16. “But we can also make a lot of improvements by our guys playing better this year than they have in the past, and I like where he’s headed.”

Browns Teammates Think Baker Mayfield Will Bounce Back

It’s been a rough ride for Mayfield since the Browns acquired Watson but he recently got some support from his teammates as he awaits a trade out of town.

“I want to see him have success wherever he goes,” Browns Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller told reporters during minicamp. “There’s a business side and there’s a personal side. The business side gets a little nasty, but the personal side never changes. We’re all a brotherhood.”

Mayfield got a similar backing from Browns veteran Joel Bitonio, who had a reminder for those slandering the QB.

“Baker did a lot for this franchise. He won a lot of games, he was a great player for us and I’ll always be a friend,” Bitonio said.