3 Baker Mayfield trades that still should happen before 2022
By Greg Newland
With mandatory camp starting in the next month for the Cleveland Browns, it’s time to move on from Baker Mayfield. Here are 3 possible options.
The Cleveland Browns are officially less than a month away from mandatory minicamp on June 14th. On one side of the coin the new starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, and a majority of the offense are headed to the Bahamas (at Watson’s expense), where the unit will spend time bonding.
On the flip side, the most expensive quarterback on the Browns roster for 2022 remains Baker Mayfield. After the Browns activated the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, the league stonewalled the Browns on getting a trade done.
The Cleveland front office certainly created its own bad situation. Not only did they tell Mayfield he was set to be the starter in 2022 before sending six draft picks (three of which were first-rounders) to the Texans for Watson, but they also gave him a fully guaranteed contract which irritated much of the league.
Now, the Browns are stuck with a disgruntled employee, and if they are forced to cut Mayfield, they are still on the hook for his full salary of nearly $19 million in 2022. Not only are the Browns motivated to move on from Mayfield, but his camp is also ready for the former number one pick to get a fresh start.
Every day that this situation draws out I’m afraid brings a better and better chance at Mayfield just getting released. After rumors swirled that deals were closed multiple times, it sounds like Andrew Berry is unwilling to pay for a good chunk of the salary in 2022.
At this point, it’s best for both parties to separate. Here are three trades that have been discussed and should be welcomed by the Browns if possible before the start of the seasons.