Sam Amico
The Cleveland Browns are celebrating the arrival of Deshaun Watson, but they apparently still have no idea what to do about Baker Mayfield.
Actually, the Browns are seeking to trade Mayfield, the former No. 1 overall pick. But they just can’t find a dance partner. So where does that leave the Browns and Mayfield?
Yeah, neither has a clue.
All we know is the Browns are hoping to move on from Mayfield, and Mayfield is hoping to move on from the Browns. So far, though, it’s like hoping to date someone new, only to realize no one else wants to go out with you.
That can make breaking up tough to do.
Several teams were linked to Mayfield recently, but they’ve all filled their spots. The Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson, but say they’re happy to roll with newcomer Drew Lock. The Atlanta Falcons traded Matt Ryan, but to the Indianapolis Colts — one potential suitor for Mayfield and a team for which he reportedly wanted to play.
Along with all that, the New Orleans Saints are re-signing Jameis Winston and the Carolina Panthers still have Sam Darnold. Oh, and the Minnesota Vikings say they’re still good with Kirk Cousins. (It’s hard to know why, but that’s what they say.)
Of course, the Houston Texans could probably use a QB now that they’ve lost Watson. Clearly, though, they had a chance to land Mayfield in the deal and took a pass.
The Detroit Lions reportedly would love to land Mayfield, but with his $18 million on the books, there’s no way they could afford both Mayfield and current starter Jared Goff. And if you think no one wants Mayfield … well, let’s just say the Lions won’t be able to trade Goff either.
Mayfield certainly hasn’t helped his own cause by being fairly inconsistent during his four seasons. Nor does it help that Odell Beckham Jr. looked like a regular guy with the Browns, then turned back into a star after being traded to the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
So, yes, the Browns have a new franchise quarterback in Watson. Clearly, it’s gonna take some time to figure out what to do with the old one.
New franchise QB you mean the serial woman abuser and all around POS that hasn’t won a thing yeah lets see if matches BM 11-5 I don’t think he has ever produced a record like that smfh
Gotta feel for Baker. Hope he lands somewhere.
Watson will likely be suspended for some of the next season. Why not keep Baker, give him a 4-6 game prove it period. Injuries happen every week. If he plays well, and a contender has a QB injury, boom trade him then. Win win. I know egos for Watson and Baker wouldn’t like it, but probably best solution for now
Somebody will injure themselves during the preseason and trade for him. But yeah, trading for Watson before you know what to do with BM is a typical Browns eff up…
Am I missing something here? What possible bargaining chips does Cleveland have to deal Mayfield to another team now? If I’m another interested team, I just sit and wait for them to decide if they want to pay for two franchise QBs or release one, then I sign the one they release and keep my draft picks. I don’t see a lot of teams making offers for Baker when the Browns have completely painted themselves into a corner.
I would not count on Watson being suspended next season. The Browns arranged the contract so basically Watson is working for free his first year to avoid pay loss due to a suspension. I guess the NFL could just tack on a hefty fine. However, if I were Godell, I would let the litigation play out then suspend him. This would send a message for teams not to do such if a player is facing a suspension. Watson will then pay even more. Again, that’s just what I would do to poke the Browns.
The Browns will actually end up “ paying” somebody, probably in the NFC, to take Baker just to avoid Pittsburgh from grabbing him.
If I were Arizona, I would kick the tires to shut KM up.
I’m in the AZ and yeah that would be fun