Baker Mayfield: 3 teams that would be stupid not to trade for Browns QB
By Greg Newland
Even though the market for Baker Mayfield appears soft, these three teams would be silly to not make a trade for him right now.
With the 2022 NFL draft set for next week, the Cleveland Browns still have a few major holes on the roster. While I believe that Andrew Berry is confident he has a solution at defensive end (likely Jadeveon Clowney’s return), he still has four quarterbacks on the roster.
One of those quarterbacks is Baker Mayfield, who has been vocal about his frustrations and wanting a trade since the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson. I don’t think anyone believes he will be on the roster come opening day, but the big question now is where he will land.
After a strong rookie campaign in 2018, Mayfield took a step back in 2019 and many blamed the coaching from Freddie Kitchens. In the second half of 2020, Mayfield played his best football and led the Browns to the playoffs, and won a wild-card game on the road in Pittsburgh.
There was a ton of hype coming into the 2021 season. Kevin Stefanski was coming off his coach of the year campaign, Odell Beckham was finally healthy, and the defense added a ton of pieces to make them an elite unit.
We all know how the OBJ saga ended, and on top of that Mayfield really struggled to find his confidence. Many believe that a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder which he suffered in week two was the biggest reason for the disappointment. But if you look back to 2020 where he did play well, the stats still weren’t elite numbers.
He had a completion percentage under 63, threw for under 3,600 yards, and had 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He was extremely efficient, but he still has never been a guy that can close a game by throwing the ball when the team needed it.
Mayfield was great for the Browns, but it’s time to move on. The trade market may be suppressed by his abilities, but these three teams would be silly to not make a deal for him.