Deshaun Watson could potentially land in Cleveland, but that doesn’t mean Baker Mayfield would be sent to Houston. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Mayfield isn’t a part of the Browns’ trade offer to the Texans.
The Texans are focused on acquiring picks, including a handful of firsts. The Browns’ offer is presumably based on draft capital, and that’s fine with Mayfield…per Cabot, Houston “likely wouldn’t be his top choice for a landing spot.”
If the Browns do somehow acquire Watson, Mayfield would obviously be sent packing in a separate trade, and Cabot notes that the losers of the Watson sweepstakes could pivot to the former first-overall pick. In this hypothetical, the Panthers and Saints would be among the “losers,” and Cabot also mentions the Colts and Seahawks as potential suitors for Mayfield.
In fact, considering the optics of the Watson pursuit, Mayfield might find himself traded even if Cleveland doesn’t complete a deal with Houston. As Cabot writes, Mayfield “would undoubtedly find it awkward to return to Cleveland in 2022 and start for a team that took the Haslams private jet to Houston on Tuesday afternoon to woo his possible replacement.” Mayfield was also critical of Kevin Stefanski’s playcalling last season, and the QB famously hasn’t inked an extension. Mayfield’s future with the organization always seemed like it was on thin ice, but his exit from Cleveland could come sooner than expected.
There’s always a chance that the Browns don’t land Watson, and the organization and Mayfield kiss and make up. However, as Cabot notes, “the visit with Watson seems like a dealbreaker.”
Baker best fit is Indy at this point.
He isn’t the best fit for Indy. Jimmy G is.
Allstate (or whichever company it is) should make a commercial where Baker has to turn over the keys to the stadium to Watson.
Honestly love this idea
Watson to falcons
Matt Ryan colts
Baker saints
Jimmy g panthers
Who exactly do the Browns get in this scenario lol
Brady Quinn again
Brady Quinn? Get real! He’s making megabucks working as College Football analyst on Fox! You gotta look for someone who is definitely available like Johnny Manziel. Or Colin K….
Get a pick and draft one baker is done with the browns
I see
Watson to Panthers
Jimmy G to the Saints
Baker to Colts
Ryan to the Browns
Winston to the Falcons
Wild thing is next offseason Falcons draft new QB and Winston could end up as Watson’s back up completing his NFC South jersey set
Baker has to go.. browns misplayed the Mayfield situation big time. They should have made him available immediately bend of season and already dealt him. You can’t bring him back now even if you don’t get Watson . Browns lockerroom will be a huge powder keg if you bring him bag if you don’t get Watson..
Why is there no news about Jameis Winston? Seems like he would be an option for somebody. He’s at least as good as Mayfield and probably better than Trubisky and Garoppolo. I don’t get why Bridgewater took a backup job either. He’s better than some of these guys.
If the browns don’t want him….good luck with the next qb. Only gone through about 623 in the past 25 years or so. Given their track record, I’m sure they’ll pick another one that can do better than Baker.
baker isn’t going anywhere
Mayfield has a winning attitude but his physical skills don’t seem to be able to keep up with his heart on an NFL playing field. He’s just not big or fast or accurate enough on the long ball to sustain much more than .500 football. His best fit would be on a defense-oriented team. Belichick has a QB now (similar but better than Mayfield), but a Patriots-style team.
Mayfield has the qualities to be at least as good as the team around him. I wouldn’t say that he’s the best option for anyone, but he’s quite far from the worst. Fans have a tendency (not directed at you, of course) to evaluate players at extremes-either the best or the worst. Worse still, they also tend to evaluate football prowess in relation to their personal like or dislike. Mayfield falls perfectly into an in between category-he personally has had sustained success and sustained disappointment. His team, however, has been a veritable mountain of instability.
I think Mayfield needs, more than any specific scheme, stability before he can take the next step (if he is capable, of course, of doing so). For that reason, an impulsive, impatient owner in Carolina will likely be bad for Mayfield, for example. I think your comment about New England is correct in that regard, though it’s not likely for the reason you stated.
The idea that the Browns would ruin their relationship with their current starter to take a shot at and most likely lose out on a long shot wish upon a star pie in the sky hope is so Browns.
….and it’s so Browns – particularly under this owner – to think they can build a team around a QB that is totally unprofessional in his commitment to the sport, and comports himself as a celebrity as opposed to a football player.
And to do this they’re willing to give up multiple high draft choices.
Since Modell bought in and fired Paul Brown, the franchise has had a list of owners that get progressively worse. At least the younger Lerner admitted he didn’t understand the game and wanted no part of the team (his father had left the Browns to him). The NFL hierarchy stuck Jimmy Haslem on the Browns fans. I believe this was in retaliation for the fans causing chaos when Modell moved the team to Baltimore, resulting in with the NFL having to grant them an expansion franchise (the only occasion in professional sports where a league had to grant a team to a city it had just moved out of….not that the Browns fans weren’t supporting the team).
If there’s a worst owner in the NFL….
The Browns have unnecessarily painted themselves into a corner. I’m not a Mayfield fan, but if the Watson plan falls through the remaining options to replace Mayfield aren’t an improvement.