The marriage between the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield could very well be heading for a divorce, either this offseason or next.
Baker Mayfield has not been very good this season and that’s a major reason the Cleveland Browns have struggled and failed to make the playoffs. The team isn’t even going to finish with a winning record. The 2020 playoff run and playoff win seem like forever ago, but it has only been a year.
There’s going to be a lot of discussion in regards to Mayfield’s future in Cleveland over the next several weeks until we get a definitive answer, so buckle up, Browns fans.
And before we get into the nitty-gritty of this article, I want to be perfectly clear when I say I am not saying this is what I want to happen, just a possibility as to what could transpire over the next several months. Hell, we still have one more week of football to get through, so anything is possible.
Through 17 weeks and 14 games with Mayfield under center, he has not had a good year. He has passed for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. General manager Andrew Berry will look at the complete 59-game career of Mayfield before deciding what to do with him, but the numbers aren’t all that great. Since entering the league after being drafted with the first overall pick back in 2018, Mayfield has thrown for 14,125 yards, 92, and 56 interceptions. The 56 interceptions are the most in the NFL in that time period. Yikes.
This season he has battled through a myriad of injuries, including a torn labrum and fractured humerus bone in his left non-throwing shoulder. Kevin Stefanski announced on Tuesday that Mayfield will not play Sunday and will have surgery as soon as possible. Many feel he should have been shut down much sooner, but the team decided to let him play through the laundry list on injuries.
Clearly, Berry will have to factor that into any and all evaluations of Mayfield when deciding where to go next. If there is a trade that’s made, it will be a gamble that Mayfield’s shoulder will heal and he will get back to 2020 form. So that means that his value could be down, which could push a deal back to around the time he is scheduled to be able to return.
Mayfield had his fifth-year option picked up by Cleveland last offseason, but that doesn’t mean a thing in terms of what could lie ahead for the two parties. The Browns will not cut Mayfield due to owing him nearly $19 million, so the most likely scenario if the two should divorce, is via trade.
Now, there are a handful of teams that could look to acquire Mayfield and pay the $19 million with the hopes that Mayfield is like Drew Brees in the sense that he had an injured shoulder, went to a new team, and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
Originally, I had the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers on this list, but they only get honorably mentioned. The Texans are out, in my eyes, due to what is going to happen with Deshaun Watson, unless, a trade for the two could be cooked up, which is highly unlikely due to Watson being able to pick his destination. Davis Mills showed promise this season so Houston might roll with him.
As for the Panthers, they traded for Sam Darnold last offseason, who also has a fifth-year option worth nearly $19 million, so that isn’t likely unless they just do a swap, which would be horrendous for Cleveland. Speaking of Darnold, in the trade that sent him to Carolina, the Panthers received a 2021 sixth-round pick (2021), as well as a second and fourth-round pick in 2022. Can the Browns get equal or better value for Mayfield?
So, without further ado, let’s see which teams could potentially trade for Baker Mayfield this offseason.
Baker Mayfield trade target No. 4: New York Giants
The (Joe) Judge is still out on quarterback Daniel Jones, but he has one year remaining on his rookie contract, which his fifth-year option has yet to be picked up. It might be time for Jones to find a new home and the Giants to find a new quarterback.
The biggest hurdle in this for the Giants would be their salary cap. They are projected to have a little over $3 million in cap space next season, so they would have to cut ties and find other ways to maneuver money around with players on the team.
Back to Jones. In his three-year career, he has a record of 12-25 and has thrown for 8,398 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions. In 2021, Jones has thrown for 2,428 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 11 games.
New York last made the playoffs back in 2016, which ironically enough is the same playoff appearance that players took a trip to Florida ahead of the playoff game, featuring former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Baker Mayfield would be an instant upgrade if the Giants were to pull off a trade for him, but the biggest question would be could Mayfield handle the bright lights of New York? He has shown in the past he has the Moxy and confidence to succeed, but he has never played for a big market.
This trade isn’t very likely, but it is one that could be good for both Mayfield and the Giants getting fresh starts.
Baker Mayfield trade target No. 3: New Orleans Saints
For everyone comparing Baker Mayfield to Drew Brees, a dream scenario of a similar situation could occur if the New Orleans Saints decided to make a move for Mayfield.
Sean Payton would be a perfect coach for Mayfield and would really do wonders for that offense that has struggled at the quarterback position in 2021.
The Saints lost Jameis Winston for the season on Halloween when he tore his ACL. Since then, Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, and rookie Ian Book have all started under center for the Saints. The crazy thing about that, along with the fact that running back Alvin Kamara missed time with a knee injury, is the fact the Saints could still make the playoffs.
New Orleans, much like New York, has major salary cap issues, only worse. They are over the cap by $61 million, which some goes to Drew Brees, despite him retiring after last season. The Saints would have to restructure contracts and let players walk and potentially send a player or two to the Browns.
A trade that could work with variations would be a package including wide receiver Michael Thomas. It would be quite something if the Browns decided to ship Mayfield off for something that he desperately needs; a talented wide receiver.
A pairing of Mayfield and Payton could very well get the Saints back into Super Bowl contention and a trade would make sense for both teams.
Baker Mayfield trade target No. 2: Denver Broncos
Every time that I have watched the Denver Broncos this year, I have always thought they would be really dangerous if they had a good quarterback. Now, that is no disrespect towards Teddy Bridgewater, who is a very serviceable quarterback in the NFL, but they could use an upgrade.
Bridgewater is a free agent after this season and Drew Lock is under contract through next season, but a trade for Mayfield would eliminate any questions on whether or not either of the current quarterbacks would factor into future plans.
The Broncos have had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the last 30 years in John Elway and Peyton Manning. Both legendary quarterbacks brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Denver and both proved that it is nearly impossible to find a replacement.
From the time that Elway retired to the time the Broncos signed Manning, the Broncos went through 13 different quarterbacks. Since Manning retired after Super Bowl L, the Broncos have struggled to fill that massive void, using 11 different QBs.
Should the Broncos be in on Mayfield, they will give him a plethora of weapons. The wide receiver room is a young group that is up and coming. Those players are Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton, and Jerry Jeudy. Patrick just got a contract extension, so he isn’t going anywhere. Noah Fant would be a good tight end for Mayfield to throw to.
The Broncos also boast a pretty impressive defense, which would be another good thing for Mayfield to inherit. Denver has been linked to Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Deshaun Watson in the past, but if they don’t want to pay the king’s ransom for one of those players, then Mayfield would be a much cheaper option.
Baker Mayfield trade target No. 1: Washington Football Team
The season isn’t over just yet and already there are “rumors” and “reports” that the Washington Football Team would be willing to trade a top-10 pick for Mayfield. Now, I use the words “rumors” and “reports” loosely, as you should never believe any of the rumors until they are confirmed. We will see that a ton over the next four months leading up to the NFL Draft.
Washington will officially announce the new name of the team on February 2nd and it would be quite fitting if they added a new quarterback as well.
Hypothetically speaking, if that “rumor” was in fact true, should the Browns take that offer? The answer has to be yes, right? In a heartbeat. That would be a haul that Andrew Berry could use at his disposal in the draft, an area he has excelled at in his first two years with the Browns.
Taylor Heinicke has had moments where he has looked like Washington’s franchise guy, but there were also times that he looked like the complete opposite. While Baker is really similar in that regard, he is an improvement over Heinicke.
Mayfield would inherit the wide receiver duo of Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel, along with running back Antonio Gibson. If he could return to his 2020 late-season run form, he and McLaurin could be one scary combination in the Nation’s capital.
Washington is much like Cleveland in using a countless number of quarterbacks since 1999. Maybe this current Cleveland Brown can be the guy to change the future of himself and the Washington Football Team.
Only time will tell what Berry will decide to do in regards to Mayfield, but you can rest assured knowing that people will be debating and arguing about this until a move is actually decided upon.