We updated recently how Cleveland was intent on giving quarterback Baker Mayfield a fresh start immediately. Well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Browns are not likely to release Mayfield should they fail to find a trade partner for the 26-year-old. 
According to Rapoport, Cleveland has had talks with squads who have interest in trading for Mayfield, but the 2022 salary due to Mayfield of $18.86MM is currently preventing a deal from being made. Rapoport posits that perhaps a deal could get worked out by Mayfield’s agent and a potential new team wherein a portion of his salary is covered by the Browns, but Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported days ago that Cleveland is not interested in paying part of Mayfield’s fifth-year option salary to facilitate a trade.
The Seahawks still appear on the radar after inquiring about the disgruntled quarterback, but they are looking for a certain price point and the assumption is that the Browns have not yet come close to it. When the Browns informed Mayfield that they would attempt to accommodate him with a trade deal, Baker mentioned the Colts as a team of interest, while also stating he had no interest in going to Detroit, Carolina, or Houston. The Colts, though, took the route of acquiring Matt Ryan in a trade with the Falcons.
Another team that’s communicated interest in Mayfield is the Steelers, who Cabot mentioned would “pounce” on Mayfield if the Browns were to release him. Newly acquired quarterback Mitchell Trubisky‘s relatively low-cost deal averaging $7.14MM per year makes it extremely feasible for Pittsburgh to go after a big name quarterback in the free agent market.
Two more factors possibly obstructing a deal from being reached are the availability of another proven starter Jimmy Garoppolo and the surgery Mayfield underwent on his non-throwing shoulder just after the 2021 NFL season. Also, Cleveland doesn’t expect a first-round pick in exchange for Mayfield. They know they’ll have to look elsewhere to recoup any of the first-rounders lost acquiring Deshaun Watson from Houston.
The Brown’s will likely continue working towards finding a new home for Mayfield, but Rapoport warns us not to expect them to cut him in an attempt to help. If an ideal trade partner fails to emerge, the Browns could be well-served in holding on to their starter of the last four years should their new quarterback, Watson, face a suspension to start the 2022 season.
Yeah, Steelers totally interested in Browns’ leftover pizza crusts. Lololol
If he is cut, why wouldn’t they pick him up? He is a starting caliber QB, not elite, but he is better than their current options.
Baker Mayfield would be a HUGE upgrade over Trubisky if the Steelers were able to get him. He’d be going to arguably the best ownership in football rather than the browns who are one of the worst
@fisher40 lol why? Trubisky is 100x better than Mayfield and the Steelers would be dumb to get Mayfield and play him over Trubs. But then again, it’s the Steelers, known for doing stupid stuff so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did something like that.
I mean, it beats the Bears’ leftover pizza crusts.
Troll
Chicago is known for its pizza
Its seattle or bust at this point.
Everybody has “their guy” currently except Seattle.
Throw the browns a 2023 7th, let him and lock compete for the job in camp.
The Panthers don’t have their guy. They just already blew their 2nd and 4th on a worse QB from the same draft.
while also stating he had no interest in going to Detroit, Carolina, or Houston
Strong chance he would sit out all camp and most the season then report to meet the minimum number of games necrssary to reach free agency if he’s dealt to carolina or detroit.
He doesn’t have enough career traction right now to do that. But I can’t imagine Detroit wanting him in addition to Goff.
I would take Goff over him anyway. Goff is not great but he is underrated. Baker Has a lot of nerve spewing out teams he won’t play for. I agree he is not good enough for that. There’s only 32 starting jobs in the world I this caliber … that shows you even more how much of a child he is to not realize what he’s doing to himself. He needs to be humbled.
It is not up to another person to decide if someone “needs humbling”.
No QB wants to go to Carolina knowing full well the coach is on the hottest of the hot seats
All the seats in Carolina are hot. They’re just permanently that way.
Denver’s are pretty hot too.
I dont think Seattle sees him as their guy..unless price is right.
I don’t Seattle has guy. There’s no way they can look at Lock as a better option. I agree that Seattle at this point would be bidding against themselves. Mayfield is a starter in this league
I’m sure he’ll be great if Watson is suspended…..lol
He is not playing in Cleveland, he already said he’d sit out.
So let him sit. He’s only hurting himself if he does. If Watson is suspended & if Baker sits, the worst that happens is the Browns accumulate losses. If that happens, the Texans are happy since they’ll be getting a higher draft pick next year.
We don’t want him here in Detroit either.
Yeah. Detroit is allergic to winning.
“The Cleveland Browns trade Baker Mayfield and their 2025 and 2026 first round picks in exchange for a 7th round pick and 4 used Gatorade bottles with chew marks on them.”
Was that a joke ? If so nobody thinks it’s funny
No one finds the constant ineptitude of the Cleveland Browns funny…?
Might want to double check that.
I think you meant Browns FANS do not find it funny, because it will soon be true.
PS- “Was that a joke?” “If so…” Did you think for even a second that it was NOT a joke? What does that say about the Browns?
I hate to burst your bubble. Not really funny…sorry 🙂
No, the Browns constantly chasing their tails and putting themselves into bad positions, like either having to pay to trade a guy no one wants or ruin their cap by keeping him, is indeed really funny.
20 years of constant comedy.
I agree with you, but there is a way to put that in funny comments..Just sayin’ 🙂
I’m content with both the material and the reaction. A few pedants don’t change that.
A homeless guy in the street told them that would be a great deal.
As a Steelers fan I would be jumping up and down for this move.
So would Browns fans.
If Browns make him okay bc Watson is suspended Baker needs to pull a hammy and stick it in Browns’ front office A$$
If I understood that correctly; I agree.
If I did not understand that correctly;
I don’t know?
He already said he would sit, he is not going to play another snap for the Frownies.
He already said he would sit, he is not going to play another snap for the Frownies.
WOW! Did it actually say that he didn’t want to play for certain TEAMS? He better go where ever he is WANTED. Or be HOMELESS WITH BAKERY MAYFIELD! I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE EVICTION COMMERCIAL FOR PROGRESSIVE!
He’s getting 18.86 million this season no matter what happens.
A renters insurance commercial. He gets evicted and all his stuff got destroyed because the Browns tossed it out of the stadium into the rain, but he’s cool. He’s got great renter’s insurance.
Needs more caps.
“Cleveland is not interested in paying part of Mayfield’s fifth-year option salary to facilitate a trade.”
Then there will be no trade.
Or they’ll pay it all…..
I thought I read Mayfield won’t play for Cleveland again even if he remains on the roster. The best case scenario for both the team and him would probably be if he stayed and played while Watson is suspended. He could attract interest for a trade before the deadline and a team wouldn’t be on the hook for his salary for the entire season.
Browns already signed Brissett to be backup QB, no way they keep Baker on roster and actually have him active. They have to pay him the $18mil whether they keep or release him, him sitting out the season hurts his free agency money demands. He will be traded before season starts, but I don’t expect it to be for anything more than a 5th
If he sits out, he won’t get paid.
It’s a guaranteed deal he’ll get paid regardless
@Benny. Sit out and he does not get paid. Browns best outcome
He gets paid regardless… of what the Browns do. He still has to go through most of the motions if he wants his paychecks.
He does not get paid if he doesn’t show up. If he shows up, he’ll get paid but not if he sits out.
Damn, you can draft a dude #1, let him start for a few years let him be himself. Do commercials, make tens of millions and still no loyalty. You didn’t win bro. You chased Odell out of town. You made nothing of all the weapons. You know Watson is ten times better than you. Don’t you watch football?
You’re slated to make 18 mil next year and you’re crying now? On what grounds and on what talent can you base your demands? Where’s the playoff resume? Where’s the regular season resume?
Pathetic. I hope the Browns don’t cave in and cater to this loser. Give Seattle the money and take the picks and dump this scrub.
Um….trading him would be caving in and catering to him. That’s what he demanded.
Where’s the loyalty to Baker? Who went on the field and sacrificed his body while the Cleveland Browns continue to be run like a ship without a rudder? The team goes out and trades for another QB to take your job and they don’t even tell you. Then said team lies in the media saying they aren’t interested in Watson, only to get the deal done the next day?
OBJ is a headcase and he wasn’t happy in New York either. And in order to perform, you have to stay on the field, which has been a problem for OBJ recently if you haven’t paid attention.
While there can be an argument that Mayfield did not live up to expectations, there can be no argument that he didn’t sacrifice his physical health for his team. I would say that, given the evidence that we have been able to observe, that Mayfield has gone more out of his way for the Browns than they have for him.
There is no loyalty in sports….Browns didn’t “lie” to anyone, they told him they were looking for an upgrade at QB, Watson said no at first and then did a 180 and said yes. Baker has already requested a trade. Baker is an average QB and will bounce around the league similar to guys like Bridgewater or Mariota. He will be dealt before season for nothing higher than a 5th.
I meant don’t cater to him and just release him
That’d be even better for Mayfield. This way he still gets paid by the Browns, then gets paid by a new team, and the Browns get no draft pick compensation.
Can you be the GM of a team I am a rival of? I would LOVE negotiating against…er, I mean with you. I’d turn you into the next Mike Ditka when he was with the Saints.
Odell didn’t ask out if New York and didn’t fight with his teammates. His teammates love him. The rams loved him. Cleveland will even resign him. His cleveland teammates outside of baker all wants him back and love him. I can’t stand Odell, but this is just the truth.
Everybody loves everybody when you win. It is when adversity hits that things start to leak out.
OBJ was a nut in New York. Maybe you don’t remember.
Loyalty-schmoyalty. You want to pay me top ten/fifteen starters money to sit on my ass with a clipboard? You do that. I’ll even smile for the camera. Kick my feet up, cash my checks and sleep my way through 2022. Then, when I get my next job, doesn’t matter how much I suck. I get a chance to play you, I’m gonna channel my inner Montana on your asses. The rest of my career could be a dumpster fire, but that game I’m Favre the game after his father passed. And you’re the Browns. You’ll probably find a way to make that easy for me.
If I’m the Packers and Mayfield is willing to rework his contract to making the same as Love’s I would give the Browns a 5th rounder and trade Love for a third rounder. Let sit behind Rodgers and learn the system for atleast a year then give him a chance. He would absolutely become a fan favorite and win .
So your idea is that Baker, who is only signed through this year, should rework his contract down to Love’s salary, which is 16M less for himself and be a back up in his contract year? That is a REALLY bad plan.
I actually think that that system is a great fit for Mayfield, but I very highly doubt that he’d be content to sit while Rodgers fills out the rest of his contract-which will likely be at least two years at the very minimum. I also doubt that Green Bay would pay him to sit, either, when that money could be spent on other starters.
As much as they enjoy giving up today’s value for tomorrow’s backups, I don’t think that the Packers will invest again this soon into Rodgers’ extension. If Rodgers weren’t returning, I actually don’t think that it’s be that bad a fit.
Hell no! GB shouldn’t ever consider Mayfield in green and gold! As a lifetime Packer fan, I want nothing to do with Mayfield in a Packer uniform.
Most of the hate here for Love as the possible future Packer QB has nothing to do with his talent level or potential. The problem is they can’t admit to the actual reason they don’t want Love as the face of the franchise.
The problem isn’t Mayfield’s salary THIS year, the problem is his contract (or lack of contract) moving forward. What team would trade a pick for a one year rental and then likely lose Mayfield to free agency in the following year? In other words you need to be willing to offer Mayfield a massive contract for the long term, something Cleveland wasn’t willing to do…
The acquiring team could sign him in agreement with a trade. The Browns just did that with Watson. The only problem is nobody will pay him what he wants and he will bet on himself. I wonder if the Browns kept him on the roster and he refuses to report, they won’t have to pay him. Did Pittsburgh still have to carry Bells salary on the cap?
So I still think the Giants are a dark horse.
They just signed Tyrod Taylor to backup Jones, doesn’t really make sense. But honestly who the hell knows you could be right.
I would be shocked. They’re already paying Jones and Taylor and have no cap space. Giants make absolutely no sense.
If the Browns can’t move Mayfield, their front office is in a lot of trouble. In order to get a QB they have to sell the farm, and then they can’t even move their 2nd string QB who’s a former #1 pick and has some potential…?
I’ve notice how most of their talent is through the draft as well. They don’t appear to be a team capable of trading upward.
Hunt, Teller, Conklin, Tretter, Clowney, John Jackson 3, are some of the good players the Browns have acquired through trades and free agency. Going all in has won the last 2 Super Bowls.
They had a winning culture / good image thing going briefly with Baker that helped attract talent. That’s gone now. It’s challenging to tell how that’s going to progress with Watson going forward.
I know solid QB play is supposed to assuage everything that’s been haunting Watson, but this league is unpredictable and it’s hard to say that he learned anything through that whole experience.
Most WR’s would rather have Watson throwing them the ball instead of Mayfield. Watson will attract more talent
Perhaps, we’ll see.
Right now Baker’s leaving town and everybody’s still more excited about what’s going on with him than the new guy who just signed $230mil guaranteed.
I’m pretty sure that’s a first.
More of them are likely excited by Watson, but they’ve noticed the messy exits of Mayfield and his receivers before him. Maybe they’ll come play with Watson, but they won’t be necessarily doing so because they’re excited to be with the Browns if they feel uneasy about the organization itself.
Everyone hates the Browns now. I’m sure lots of players will question how long it will be before the next wave of women come forward in Cleveland. The grand Jury in Ohio might not be so “boys will be boys” as the grand jury in Texas. Watson is a serial predator. I don’t think he can stop if he wanted to.
Yeah, I’m just not excited about Watson at all. I think if the Broncos signed him (and in that manner) I’d suddenly find a lot more spare time on my hands.
Go get him Steelers!
It wouldn’t shock me to see him play more games for the Browns next season than Watson as nuts as that might sound and even more nuts to see – this is first time I’ve really seen it mentioned specifically but I think that’s a real possibility
I don’t think he will play for the Browns again. I think he will sit and try to force a trade. I wouldn’t want to be a placeholder for Watson either. I wouldn’t want to sit in the same room as Watson, let alone be his teammate.
If I am Mayfield, the best case scenario is a trade and sign an extension. I would in absolutely no way play for the Browns again. The only thing he could do is hurt his value and risk injury while you know the team doesn’t really want you anymore and is just counting the days down until Watson can play again. The organization showed you what they think of you by how they treated you. They gave you the finger, now they are going to come crawling back and say, “Oh, please start for us because the guy we got to replace you is a bone-headed moron and got himself in legal trouble.”
Nope. You should have thought of that before you made him the highest paid moron in the league.
All the teams in the league know the Browns are up against it. Nobody HAS to trade for Mayfield because they will release him. So their asking price has to come down and they have to be willing to eat some of that contract if a move is going to happen.
I think the Jimmy G. situation needs to play out before any team gets into a serious trade discussion about Mayfield.
Seahawks might as well give Colin Kaepernick a shot.
We’re not supposed to be commenting on that here lol
They love Drew Lock. He is their next Charlie Whitehurst.
He already said he would sit, he is not going to play another snap for the F rownies.
Is Kaepernick better than Lock ?
That is like asking if stepping in dog poop is better than stepping in cat poop. Either way, there is poop on your shoe. This is why the Seahawks trading RW with no path to their next QB is a franchise wrecker. Now Seattle has volunteered to be the Commanders???
He’s not even better than Blaine Gabbert…and that was before he took a 5 year break.
His passing stats might look a little better when he gets away from the Lake. Watson’s will probably look a little worse. Still, glad the Texans didn’t take him back in the trade.