2022 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: June 2022

Rams Waive LB Travin Howard

June 8th, 2022 at 8:37pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy day in Los Angeles. Tucked under the headline of Cooper Kupp‘s extension includes a transaction that saw the Rams moving on from one of their defenders. The team announced earlier today that they have waived linebacker Travin Howard. The linebacker was set to earn $2.5MM next season.

Following a collegiate career at LSU that saw him earn two-straight first-team All-Big 12 honors and Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP, Howard was selected by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. The linebacker appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, collecting 22 tackles while mostly playing on special teams.

He landed on IR prior to the 2020 campaign, wiping out his season. He returned for 2021 and got into 12 games (tw0 starts), finishing with 21 tackles and an interception. He added another 10 tackles in four postseason games (two starts), and he hauled in the game-clinching interception during the Rams NFC Championship Game victory.

Howard only his starts when rookie Ernest Jones was injured, and the organization also brought in Bobby Wagner at the linebacker position. As a result, Howard was already destined to be a backup at best in 2022, and it sounds like the organization will pivot to a younger option to round out their linebackers corps.

Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Extension

June 8th, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

And like that, the Rams have extended another star player. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has signed a three-year extension with the Rams, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

The three-year extension will be added to the remaining two years on Kupp’s current deal, locking the Super Bowl MVP into what’s essentially a five-year, $110MM deal. That’s about $80MM in new money, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Schefter clarifies on Twitter that Kupp will earn a new $75MM in guaranteed money. Earlier this evening, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport estimated that Kupp and the Rams were zeroing on a three-year deal.

Kupp wasn’t looking to reset the market with his new deal, and while he earned a handsome pay day, it still doesn’t crack the top-five at the position in terms of average annual value. The five-year, $110MM puts Kupp’s AAV at $22MM; that ranks sixth at wide receiver behind Tyreek Hill ($30MM/yr), Davante Adams ($28MM), DeAndre Hopkins ($27.25MM), A.J. Brown ($25MM), and Stefon Diggs ($24MM). In terms of total value, the five upcoming years for Kupp is only rivaled by Adams ($140MM) and Hill ($120MM).

Following an incredible 2021 campaign that saw Kupp lead the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16) before earning a championship and the Super Bowl MVP, it always seemed inevitable that Kupp would ink a new deal. The team made it clear throughout the offseason that a Kupp extension was a priority, but the team was in no rush to ink the deal with several priorities (including a new contract for Aaron Donald) still unresolved.

Indeed, the organization only inked Donald to a new deal days ago, and they’ve now completed a new contract for Kupp. In only a matter of days, the Rams have committed $205MM to the two players, and while the front office has done an admirable job of getting creative with their cap machinations, there’s no denying the future money the organization has committed to in pursuit of another Super Bowl win. Besides Donald and Kupp, the organization has also handed out a sizable extension to quarterback Matthew Stafford (four years, $160MM) while also signing linebacker Bobby Wagner (five years, $50MM) and wideout Allen Robinson (three years, $46.5MM).

The new deal will keep Kupp in Los Angeles through the 2026 season. This is already Kupp’s third contract, and as Albert Breer of TheMMQB points out on Twitter, this is a good case study in support of shorter extensions being more beneficial for players. Kupp inked a three-year, $48MM extension with the Rams in 2020. The East Washington product entered the NFL as a third-round pick in in 2017.

Kupp was productive as a rookie, but he missed half of his sophomore campaign. The receiver topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, and while he exceeded 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2020, the numbers were still a step down from the previous campaign. Then, with Stafford joining the Rams, Kupp exploded, achieving the NFL’s receiving triple crown. His performance in 2021 earned him a number of accolades, including Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pro.

Rams Closing In On Extension With WR Cooper Kupp

June 8th, 2022 at 5:50pm CST by Ben Levine

The Rams are zeroing in on an another big extension. The organization has made “significant progress” on a new deal with star wideout Cooper Kupp, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). While the deal hasn’t been signed, Rapoport suggests that the deal could be finalized as soon as this evening (via Twitter).

While terms haven’t been reported, Rapoport seems to suggest that it will be a three-year pact. The monetary terms remain to be seen, but Rapoport adds that the deal would place Kupp “among” the highest-paid receivers in the NFL, so the AAV would likely be north of $20MM per year. Rapoport says Kupp could even make north of $25MM AAV, putting the projected extension in the range of 3/$75MM.

The Rams’ offseason priorities obviously included the draft and free agency, but once they finished making additions to their squad, the organization pivoted to their current stars. A report from March indicated that the front office would focus on a new deal with Aaron Donald before pivoting to a Kupp extension. It’s only been days since the team finally agreed to a new deal with the star defensive tackle, but the front office has moved quickly to also pay the Super Bowl MVP.

Kupp inked a three-year, $48MM extension with the Rams in 2020, and the two remaining years would likely be tacked on to a new deal. The 28-year-old receiver set himself up for an even bigger payday following a prolific 2021 campaign. Kupp achieved NFL’s receiving Triple Crown after leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16), resulting in him earning a long list of accolades (including Offensive Player of the Year). Kupp followed up his remarkable regular season with an even more memorable postseason, hauling in six touchdowns in four games en route to a Super Bowl championship (and the Super Bowl MVP).

The player’s emergence as one of the league’s top players naturally brought up conversations about a new contract, and there were some who questioned if the increasingly expensive Rams would be able to carve out enough money to sign the wideout to a deal that rivaled some of the lucrative WR contracts (including Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams). However, Kupp made it clear that he wasn’t necessarily looking to reset the market with an extension, and his willingness to take a slight discount likely led to easier negotiations.

Texans To Be Included As Defendant In Deshaun Watson Lawsuits

June 8th, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Deshaun Watson may be playing elsewhere, but the Texans are still very much involved in the quarterback’s ongoing legal issues. Attorney Tony Buzbee announced that he is including the Houston Texans organization in the lawsuits against Watson (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Twitter).

“Based on what we have learned from the Houston Police Department, we will soon be joining the Houston Texans organization and others as defendants in the ongoing lawsuits against Deshaun Watson,” the attorney wrote in a message. “Our team has thoroughly vetted each case. We are considering many others. These women are the true heroes in this sordid story. What has become clear is that the Houston Texans organization and their contracting “massage therapy company” facilitated Deshaun Watson’s conduct. In many of these cases, the Texans provided the opportunity for this conduct to occur. We believe the Texans organization was well aware of Watson’s issues but failed to act. They knew or certainly should have known. The Houston Texans organization provided rooms for Watson at the high-end Houstonian hotel for his “massages”; the Texans also provided massage tables and other support for Watson’s proclivities – ostensibly to protect their “asset.” We intend to make sure all involved in Watson’s conduct are held accountable, in addition to and including Watson himself.”

The Texans released a statement responding to the impending lawsuit (via Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com on Twitter):

“We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident.”

Wilson also cites the organization’s statement from March of 2021, when the Texans said they only became aware of the lawsuit that month and hadn’t previously “heard of the matter.”

Buzbee’s talks with the Houston Police Department and lawsuit announcement follows yesterday’s New York Times report that Watson received massages from at least 66 women over a 17-month span from fall 2019 to spring 2021. Civil testimony included in the NYT report had Watson admitting that the Texans helped him with an nondisclosure agreement in 2020, and the player took NDAs to all future massaging sessions. The report also noted that the Texans set up Watson with a membership at the exclusive hotel that the attorney mentioned in his statement. Effectively, Buzbee is alleging that the organization either knew or should have known about Watson’s conduct before everything came to light.

The Browns QB has continued to deny any wrongdoing. The NFL has just about wrapped up their investigation, and a suspension is likely to be announced at some point in July.

49ers Not Planning To Sign Free Agent C

June 8th, 2022 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

As they attempt to replace Laken Tomlinson and Alex Mack, the 49ers are light on experience. For now, that is not fazing the team. San Francisco is not planning to chase a free agent upgrade at center, Kyle Shanahan said during minicamp.

The 49ers turned to Jake Brendel as their first-teamer throughout OTAs and have continued this setup at minicamp. Brendel would be an atypical solution. The former UDFA turns 30 before Week 1 and has made three career starts — all as a fill-in with the 2018 Dolphins. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster was Brendel’s position coach during part of his Miami tenure. The 49ers are Brendel’s fifth team.

Mack retirement rumors lingered for weeks, and Shanahan said the coaching staff had been expecting the 13-year veteran to hang up his cleats since March. Mack’s mid-offseason retirement comes two years after Joe Staley did the same. The 49ers moved aggressively to replace Staley, trading for Trent Williams soon after. J.C. Tretter and Matt Paradis would are available, but free agency is not San Francisco’s Mack replacement plan.

“We didn’t want to make it a big thing and go chase stuff, especially when the player that we have in here has done a good job and has shown us in here that he can do it,” Shanahan said, via David Lombardi of The Athletic (subscription required). “… You know all the veterans out there. We’ve had an idea about it for a while, so we’ve been looking at all situations, and right now, we feel like we’re doing the best one for us.”

Shanahan’s praise notwithstanding, Brendel has played six offensive snaps in the past three years. The UCLA alum is not the only option here, but he seems poised to enter training camp as the clear favorite. The 49ers signed Keaton Sutherland, who played in one game with the Bengals last season, and drafted Nick Zakelj in Round 6. Zakelj finished his Fordham career as a tackle, but Lombardi notes the 49ers view him as a possible long-term center option.

The prospect of right guard Daniel Brunskill sliding over is not out of the question, either, with second-year tackle convert Jaylon Moore competing at right guard as well. But Brunskill’s 35 straight guard starts suddenly look important for interior-line continuity purposes. Second-round pick Aaron Banks (five 2021 offensive snaps) is set to take over for Tomlinson, a five-year 49ers starter, at left guard.

No matter who wins the center job, the 49ers will move to their fourth primary snapper in four years. Weston Richburg‘s late-2019 injury — what became a career-ending malady — threw the team’s pivot plans off course.

“Jake made our team last year as a backup center,” Shanahan said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to believe they have an ability to start. We had a lot of confidence last year in Jake to make the team. If Mack would’ve ever missed a game or something, we wouldn’t have hesitated and we would’ve gone into that game very confident with him. We also have guys like Brunskill who has done it before, and I think we have some young guys who can do it.”

Texans Waive WR DaeSean Hamilton, Sign WR Chad Beebe

June 8th, 2022 at 4:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

DaeSean Hamilton‘s rough run of injury luck will result in a second team waiving him with an injury designation. The Texans jettisoned the former Broncos draft pick Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

To fill Hamilton’s spot, Houston is signing wideout Chad Beebe. The second-generation NFLer made some contributions for the 2020 Vikings, working as the team’s No. 3 wideout behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. But Beebe suffered a preseason injury and did not play last season.

This represents another tough break for Hamilton, who suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice this week. This injury is not an ACL tear, however, and it is not expected to sideline the Penn State product for the season. It will leave Hamilton without a job, though. Hamilton is attempting to come off a missed 2021 season. The young slot receiver suffered an ACL tear during the 2021 offseason, and the Broncos — who were on the verge of trading Hamilton to the 49ers — cut bait soon after. The Texans picked him up earlier this year.

If unclaimed, Hamilton will revert to the Texans’ IR list. An injury settlement, which would send the three-year veteran to free agency, could follow in that case. Beebe caught 20 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings two years ago. A foot injury sidelined him in 2021.

Beebe, 28, would represent a fringe candidate to make Houston’s roster as a backup while also posing as a practice squad candidate. The team may have more room on its Week 1 roster, however, with second-round pick John Metchie not expected to be ready from the ACL tear he suffered late in Alabama’s season. The Texans roster the likes of Chris Conley, 2021 third-rounder Nico Collins, Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett as auxiliary options behind Brandin Cooks.

How Will Broncos Proceed With Crowded OLB Corps?

June 8th, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Visions of a long-term Von Miller–Bradley Chubb edge partnership mostly proved fleeting for the Broncos, who saw injuries sideline at least one member of this tandem for most of its three-plus-season tenure. The 2018 season, when Miller and his then-rookie sidekick combined for 26.5 sacks, turned into a mirage.

The Broncos’ 2022 contingent of edge rushers presents intrigue, even if it is the first in 12 years not to include the best pass rusher in franchise history. Denver’s Miller trade allowed the team to finish stockpiling its cast of pass rushers, bringing second- and third-round 2022 picks, but with only Randy Gregory locked in as a long-term starter (and given Gregory’s history, that classification might be premature), how the team proceeds with this crew will be interesting ahead of what promises to be a high-profile division race.

Gregory signed a five-year, $70MM deal in March, backing out of a Cowboys agreement at the last minute due to contract language. Suspended four times as a pro, Gregory showed considerable promise during his final Dallas season. If that form is a true indicator of the former second-rounder’s form, the Broncos having him signed to a $14MM-per-year deal will age well as the salary cap’s rise has pushed edge rusher salaries toward the $30MM-AAV mark. Gregory, whose drug suspensions could give him a “young 29” presence, carries boom-or-bust potential. From a roster-building standpoint, more questions surround his supporting cast.

Chubb made the Pro Bowl in 2020, despite accumulating just 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble, and racked up 12 sacks as a rookie. But the two ankle surgeries he underwent last year brought limitations and questions about his future in Denver. (Chubb also sustained an ACL tear in 2019.) George Paton identified the former top-five pick as a core player, and while those comments came before the ankle trouble limited Chubb to seven games in a zero-sack season, the second-year GM expressed Chubb confidence again this year. Paton did extend 2018 second-round pick Courtland Sutton, whom he also called a core talent last year, after an ACL tear. Chubb, 26 later this month, will enter a high-stakes contract year, with Paton reorganizing the team’s edge-rushing stable after the February vote of confidence.

An extension path may still exist for Chubb. Gregory’s AAV checks in just 22nd among edge defenders, and the Chargers and Raiders each have two edges earning north of $17MM per year. But that prospect is murkier than it was last year at this time. Had Chubb not been a first-round pick, he may already be signed to a lucrative deal. The fifth-year option allowed the Broncos to wait, and the team will have cheaper options to flank Gregory beyond 2022 — when Russell Wilson will be playing on a top-market contract.

Denver rosters Malik Reed, a former UDFA who has seen extensive run (34 starts) due to Chubb and Miller’s injuries, and used its top draft choice on Oklahoma edge Nik Bonitto (64th overall). The team also has ex-Ohio State teammates Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning. Cooper fell to Round 7 because of a heart issue (one that did not keep him out of games last season) and flashed a bit after the Miller trade. The Broncos curiously moved Browning from inside linebacker — where they are much thinner. A 2021 third-rounder, Browning started nine games inside as a rookie.

It will be difficult for the team to roster all six, and its recent penchant for UDFA edge success (Reed, Shaq Barrett) creates a path for Christopher Allen, a 2020 Alabama contributor who missed last season due to a foot injury. The Broncos gave Allen $180K to sign after the draft.

Also in a contract year, Reed has registered 13 sacks over the past two seasons. Though lesser-known than Chubb, Reed profiles as an extension candidate himself. The Broncos would probably stand to save by extending Reed over Chubb, who also looms as a 2023 franchise tag option. Chubb staying healthy this season could create a clear value gap between the two. Denver also has defensive end starter Dre’Mont Jones going into a walk year, creating an unsettled post-2022 mix beyond Gregory and Bonitto.

With Paton-era OLB investments behind Reed, would the Broncos consider trading the frequent fill-in starter ahead of his contract year? They only gave Reed the low-end RFA tender ($2.4MM) in March. That price and Reed’s recent production could be attractive for teams with thinner edge cadres. Chubb is tied to a $12.7MM option salary. A mix of Gregory, Chubb and Reed would limit Bonitto’s rookie-year time. But injuries could obviously change that.

The Broncos faced a surplus situation at cornerback last year but refrained from dealing into it, despite teams showing interest. Chubb’s injury history could prompt Denver to carry an extra outside linebacker on its 53-man roster. Browning’s ability to play on the inside would seemingly represent insurance for an iffy group of inside ‘backers as well. But carrying six edges is on the high end for 3-4 teams.

However the Broncos decide to proceed here, their moving parts on the edge should be a situation to monitor as the revitalized team attempts to compete against high-powered offenses. How that effort goes, particularly from the John Elway-era holdover rushers, will determine how the franchise chooses to complement Gregory beyond 2022.

John Lynch Addresses Decision To Turn Down Amazon Offer

June 8th, 2022 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Lynch came out of nowhere, at least regarding a personnel background, to become the 49ers’ general manager in 2017. The Hall of Fame safety had spent most of the previous decade as a FOX analyst. Amid a run of NFL broadcast-booth changes this offseason, Amazon presented Lynch a lucrative offer to return to the booth.

The sixth-year San Francisco GM turned down Amazon’s offer — one reportedly worth far more than his GM salary — to stay with the 49ers. He decided to do so shortly after the team’s season-ending loss to the Rams.

“Kyle [Shanahan] asked me to address the team, and that’s when the clarity really came to me because I didn’t know,” Lynch said, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, regarding how he would proceed with Amazon. “I wasn’t going to address it [the job offer] until after the season.

“I looked at myself and said, ‘How do I sit up here and address these guys and talk about having the fortitude to fight through the pain of losing a game like this and then turn around and bolt on them?’ I couldn’t do it. I knew right then what I was going to do. I’m happy to be a part of the Niners.”

During a historically unstable period in which the 49ers went through four head coaches in four years, Shanahan took the reins in 2017. Lynch came in soon after. Both received six-year contracts. The 49ers showed patience in the duo, which struggled during a two-year stretch largely spent without a viable starting quarterback, and it paid off when the 2019 team made a surprise Super Bowl LIV run. Shanahan and Lynch signed extensions in 2020, and the 2021 season put the team back on track.

Shanahan and 49ers CEO Jed York advised Lynch to listen to Amazon’s offer. The 50-year-old exec spent nine seasons in the booth, working with FOX from 2008-16. Three years remain on Lynch’s 49ers extension, with this year — which is expected to feature a Jimmy Garoppolo trade and Trey Lance‘s ascension — being a key point on the Shanahan-Lynch regime’s timeline.

“It’s silly. It’s stupid. It really is,” Lynch said. “When Amazon came and started talking to me, I said, ‘You want to pay me what? Are you serious? Are you sure?‘”

The winning coach from that NFC title game, Sean McVay, also had to fend off network interest during an offseason that has seen FOX, NBC and ESPN’s top broadcast teams broken up. Amazon played a role in this, with longtime NBC play-by-play man Al Michaels signing on with the league’s newest broadcast partner. Amazon, which has Kirk Herbstreit set to work with Michaels, will air Thursday-night games this season. Given the money being thrown around to top-tier announcers following Tony Romo‘s CBS extension, active coaches, execs and players will likely continue to be linked to TV gigs.

Latest On Browns QB Deshaun Watson

June 8th, 2022 at 12:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Since Roger Goodell said two weeks ago the NFL’s Deshaun Watson investigation was nearing an end, two more women filed civil lawsuits against the Browns quarterback. Following the 23rd suit, Watson’s defense team denied the accuser’s account. After the 24th, Rusty Hardin indicated the defense only learned the latest accuser’s name when the suit was filed.

The 24th accuser presenting new information could open the door to Watson’s Browns guarantees being at risk. The Browns structured Watson’s fully guaranteed contract so the guarantees would not void if he was suspended based on one of the then-22 civil suits, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk raises the prospect of a ban based partially on a new lawsuit penetrating the bulletproof guarantee language. It is still possible the Hardin-led camp and the Browns were aware of another potential suit, but it coming more than two months after Watson signed his contract creates some uncertainty regarding the guarantees.

Given their extraordinary effort to acquire Watson via the record-shattering $230MM guaranteed figure, it seems unlikely the team would push to void guarantees. Watson has denied any wrongdoing, but the Browns continue to see detailed accounts of accusations against their trade acquisition emerge.

An expansive report from the New York Times’ Jenny Vrentas indicates Watson received massages from at least 66 women over a 17-month span from fall 2019 to spring 2021, the end of this timeframe bringing forth the avalanche of allegations against the then-Texans passer. Women who did not sue Watson accuse the 26-year-old QB of attempting to turn massage therapy sessions into sexual encounters, and Vrentas adds another woman withdrew her complaint due to “privacy and security concerns.”

Including Instagram messages between Watson and accusers and testimony from the ongoing civil trials — said testimony revealing, in at least one of the suits, Watson admitting a masseuse’s experience and skill level was not a priority — Vrentas’ piece also includes civil testimony in which Watson said the Texans helped him with a nondisclosure agreement. The 23rd woman to file suit against Watson, Nia Smith, shared texts, Watson’s phone number and some of his Cash App receipts on her Instagram account after his alleged sexual misconduct during their three massage sessions. Watson said the Texans provided an NDA in late 2020, and Vrentas reports he began taking NDAs to massage sessions soon after. The Texans also set up Watson with a membership at The Houstonian, a hotel where at least seven women gave him massages occurred, according to Vrentas.

The NFL has interviewed 21 of the first 22 women to accuse Watson of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, and has concluded its interviews with the embattled passer, who switched his Twitter account to private following Vrentas’ story. Goodell said in March that, based on NFL and NFLPA talks, Watson would not be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. Barring the Browns asking Watson to stay away from their workouts, he will continue to practice with his new team. If the NFL did not know about the information uncovered in Vrentas’ account, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson discusses whether the exempt list (paid leave) would now apply. The NFL did not place Watson on the exempt list last year; the Texans instead deactivated him 17 times.

A suspension is expected to be announced in July, and the run of information leading up to the independent arbitrator’s (and later Goodell’s) decision could increase the likelihood of a lengthy ban. This matter stands to hang over Watson for most or all of 2023 as well, with the civil trials going on pause from August 1, 2022-March 1, 2023. A second suspension could take place once the suits conclude. Watson missed his age-26 season due to these accusations and his previous trade request. The negative PR coming his way may well prompt the NFL to levy a harsh ban, putting his age-27 campaign in jeopardy.

Browns To Excuse Baker Mayfield From Minicamp

June 8th, 2022 at 11:24am CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns are scheduled to begin their minicamp June 14. Deshaun Watson is on track to participate with his new team, but the Browns ensured Wednesday their previous starting quarterback will not.

Baker Mayfield will be excused from Cleveland’s minicamp, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets, describing this as a mutual decision. The parties decided this will be the best course of action, one that will prevent Mayfield from being fined for his absence and stop further distractions — amid a slew of quarterback-related turmoil for the Browns — from taking place.

This comes shortly after the 49ers excused Jimmy Garoppolo from their minicamp. Garoppolo still has a chance to return to the 49ers, despite the team preferring to trade its four-plus-year starter. Mayfield, who requested a trade in March, is almost certainly done with the Browns. Wednesday’s decision offers further evidence its four-year starter will move on, regardless of Watson’s status.

Mayfield has been away from the Browns for an extended stretch, having made his trade request just before the team’s trade for Watson and shocking financial commitment. The Browns have engaged in trade talks with the Panthers, and the former No. 1 overall pick has been linked to the Seahawks. Neither NFC team has blinked, even with both having questionable-at-best quarterback situations. At least, that is where the Panthers and Seahawks stand presently. Things could change if those teams determine Mayfield is a necessary upgrade, but the holding pattern has persisted for several weeks. The Browns will need to pick up almost all of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary; they are willing to pay a sizable chunk of it.

Cleveland cutting Mayfield would save little, since he could sign with Carolina or Seattle for the league minimum (due to offset language) and stick the Browns with $17MM-plus in dead money. The Browns have Jacoby Brissett positioned as Watson insurance. With lawsuits continuing to pile up against the Pro Bowl passer, a lengthy Brissett stretch seems certain for the 2022 Browns. Mayfield should be expected to be with another team by the time a (presumably) Brissett-quarterbacked Cleveland squad debuts.

For now, the disgruntled QB will finish his shoulder rehab away from the Browns. Mayfield is expected to be ready for full participation in training camp.

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