The one team that should trade for Baker Mayfield in 2022

The quarterback market has dried up leaving the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield in limbo, but there is one team that should inquire about a trade.

For all intents and purposes, this will be the final piece that I write in regards to Cleveland Browns quarterback, Baker Mayfield. At some points he will not be on this roster, it’s just a matter of when. After this article, there won’t be much to address, even when he is ultimately dealt or released.

It has been quite the ride with Mayfield and the Browns over the course of the last four seasons and now, there will be a new place for Mayfield to call home. The thing that makes this situation even more awkward for both parties is the fact that there isn’t a ton of interest in Mayfield.

Another issue that could be causing teams to be hesitant to pay the price for Baker is the fact that he’s coming off shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum that he suffered in Week 2 of last season.

There are rumors about what the Browns would have to take in order to trade Mayfield away. They will more than likely have to trade a draft pick or eat a portion of Mayfield’s fully guaranteed $18.8 million dollars for the upcoming season.

A release is the least likely of scenarios as Mayfield could essentially sign a one-year, $1 million deal, which would make Cleveland responsible for the remaining money left on the deal. It’s hard to see general manager Andrew Berry taking on $17 million in cap space for a player no longer on the roster.

When will Baker Mayfield be traded?

When will Mayfield be dealt? That is a question many Browns fans have been wondering after a bizarre two weeks for the disgruntled quarterback and the Browns.

Two weeks ago, Cleveland was able to trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, which is a drastic upgrade over Mayfield. Before the trade went down, Mayfield sent out a letter on his social media platforms seemingly saying goodbye to the city of Cleveland.

Two days later, the Browns were told they were out of the running for Watson – he eventually changed his mind two days later and waived his no-trade clause allowing the Texans to deal him to Cleveland. On the day the team was told they were out on Watson, Mayfield decided to request a trade.

It later came out that Mayfield and his camp requested a trade after they thought the team would trade for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, due to the connection between him and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

According to Browns legend, former offensive tackle, Joe Thomas, he believes that Baker overplayed his hand, and that’s part of the reason there is virtually no market for him and he and the Browns are currently stuck. He is absolutely right in his thinking, as Mayfield couldn’t help but open his mouth a bit too early. The other 31 teams see that and many have decided Mayfield is not worth the price tag. Can’t really blame those teams, can you?

Which team should trade for Baker Mayfield?

This answer will not sit right with those of you who are reading this far, but to me, the team that should trade for Mayfield is none other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Think of the story that would be should the Steelers of all teams pull the trigger on a trade for the former first overall pick. Now, there are a few hurdles that would make this trade have minimal odds.

First off, the team signed quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who spent last year backing up Bills quarterback, Josh Allen. Trubisky will have an opportunity to compete with Mason Rudolph in training camp for the chance to be the starter.

Another issue that could arise is in the NFL Draft. The Steelers are looking for a guy to replace Ben Roethlisberger, who retired after this past season, and there is a lot of speculation that the answer could be in the draft.

If the Steelers do in fact take a quarterback next month, that will surely put this trade scenario out of its misery. It’s already an unlikely deal, but you can simply never say never in the NFL, especially after how wild and unpredictable this offseason has been thus far.

Now, let’s look at this hypothetical trade from two more angles; Baker Mayfield and the Browns.

For Mayfield, it would give him another shot to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. It would also give him the chance to play the Browns twice a year and as we all know; he loves having ammunition to add to the ever-growing chip on his shoulder.

Will the Browns fans who will wish him well and still ride with him on his new team feel the same way if he gets dealt to the archrival Steelers? That would be a fascinating scenario to see played out.

For the Browns, the front office has known for a while that they wanted to move on from Mayfield. He has been too erratic and inconsistent in his four-year career, which is one of the main reasons they wanted to and did ultimately make a massive upgrade at the position. For the fans who have grown tired of Mayfield and his antics and up-and-down play, they would love to see him twice a year.

Regardless of how this all plays out in the end, Baker Mayfield will no longer be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. It is now a wait-and-see approach to see which team, if any, decides to pull the trigger on a trade for Mayfield.