Getty Images Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.
Baker Mayfield doesn’t know where he’ll play next season but the Cleveland Browns quarterback is getting a head start on his preparation for next year following offseason shoulder surgery.
Mayfield has been working out in Texas with free agent wide receivers Cole Beasley and Danny Amendola in Texas, where all three are originally from.
“What I am told is that he’s throwing with a couple of veteran receivers in Cole Beasley and Danny Amendola down in Texas. And also Alex Bachman, the one guy out of the group with a job. He’s currently a wide receiver with the Giants on a futures deal,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported this week. “Mayfield continuing to get the work in. I would expect this is the way it will continue until the situation with the Browns resolves itself.”
From NFL Now on @nflnetwork: Baker Mayfield’s plan is to throw on his own (Cole Beasley, Danny Amendola and Alex Bachman are his current targets) while the #Browns work on a trade.
Meanwhile, Beasley is feeling better after three broken ribs affected his play late last season.
Over his first four years with the Browns, Mayfield has traditionally hosted some teammates in Texas during the offseason to get some work in.
Browns Not Rushing Baker Mayfield Trade
Mayfield and the Browns are in a standoff as the team looks to find him a new home following the acquisition of Deshaun Watson. However, that has been an easy task considering Mayfield carries a salary of nearly $19 million for next season. The Browns have said they’ll be patient trying to find the right move.
“I wouldn’t say we have a specific timetable for the QB room,” Browns GM Andrew Berry reporters Tuesday at the NFL Annual Meeting. “Baker is a professional, he’s under contract and we have the (cap) flexibility whether he’s on the roster or not. So we don’t really feel pressed to rush into anything that’s suboptimal.”
There’s speculation that the Browns could play the long game with Mayfield and even hang onto him as an insurance policy in case Deshaun Watson is handed a significant suspension from the league. If it’s not Mayfield, it would be Jacoby Brissett taking the snaps behind center.
“I think as we look at the QB room, we have three good players at the most important position in sports,” Berry said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t things that we’re going to work through over the course of the next several months, but I don’t view it as a bad situation at all. We feel like we have three good ones and a lot of teams are still looking for one guy, so you don’t mind being deep there and we’ll take it as it goes.”
Teams Waiting to Pounce if Baker Mayfield is Released
Mayfield’s tenure has been a mixed bag in Cleveland. He had a stellar rookie campaign and led the team to their first postseason berth in nearly two decades during the 2020 season. However, last season Mayfield tossed just 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, slumping down the stretch as the team finished 8-9.
Despite that, there’s no doubt some teams will be interested in the former top overall pick. However, his price tag and the lack of leverage by the Browns have made the situation a tough one. Some are simply waiting to see if the Browns release Mayfield, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
The Browns were seeking a second-round pick initially for Mayfield and were not willing to eat some his salary or give up draft picks, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. It’s clear now with QB needy teams filling their spots that the original price the Browns had in mind is unrealistic.
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