NFL executives believe Baker Mayfield will be released by the Browns, and if so, one of these four teams would add him as soon as possible
The Cleveland Browns have been adamant that they won’t release Baker Mayfield. While there’s no scenario where the quarterback and team will work together again, they refuse to let him go without getting something of value in return.
Even with them remaining steadfast, there’s a belief in league circles that the Browns will eventually have no choice but to finally cut ties. If that does happen, these four teams would surely jump on the opportunity to add Mayfield once he’s available.
Potential Baker Mayfield team No. 4: New York Giants
Right now, the New York Giants are set to roll with Daniel Jones for his fourth NFL season. A former first-round pick from Duke, Jones is coming off back-to-back abysmal seasons where he had just 11 touchdown passes in 2020 and 10 in 2021.
Making matters worse for Jones, the Giants are in the middle of another change at head coach. Out is Joe Judge and in is Brian Daboll, who rose to prominence in recent years thanks to his work with Josh Allen as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator.
There’s some hope that Daboll can be as good for Jones as he was Allen but we’re fooling ourselves if we look at how the two quarterbacks have played the past season and think Jones can be on a similar trajectory.
What’s more likely is Jones will be a free agent in 2023 and the Giants will again be looking for a new quarterback. But perhaps they won’t need to.
Instead of banking solely on Jones — with Tyrod Taylor as the plan-B — New York could take a flier on Baker Mayfield assuming he hits the open market and they can sign him for the league minimum.
Adding him would give them a year to see if they believe the former No. 1 overall pick can be the starter for them long-term — and if not, the risk was very minimal.
Potential Baker Mayfield team No. 3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This one would be a different scenario for Baker Mayfield, and he would likely only consider it if all other options were gone. With Tom Brady entrenched as the starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there’s no way Mayfield would be a starter for them. However, it wouldn’t be a bad move for him to spend some time in the same quarterback room as the GOAT.
Of course, Mayfield would have to resign himself to the fact that he’s not the top dog — but if he does so, he could do a lot of good for himself going forward. Take, for example, Mitchell Trubisky.
When the Chicago Bears moved on from him, Trubisky wound up signing a one-year deal to be the reserve for the Buffalo Bills. After spending a year behind Josh Allen, he was able to hit the open market again in 2022 — and while he didn’t break the bank, he was given a legit shot at being a starter by the Pittsburg Steelers.
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Mayfield could find himself in a similar situation. A year of being in the books and working on his craft could give him a shot at rebuilding his reputation before going after a starting job in 2023.
And with several starting quarterbacks either approaching their 40s — or already being there — some jobs could end up being available.
Mayfield has been linked to the Bucs several times, and in the end, it could be a move that benefits him even more than it would Tampa Bay.
Potential Baker Mayfield team No. 2: Seattle Seahawks
Another team that Baker Mayfield has been linked to is the Seattle Seahawks, and Mayfield himself even said that’s a team he could see himself playing for.
It makes sense considering Seattle just traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, and it’s not as if they have the most impressive quarterback room. The Seahawks are entering camp with a battle between Geno Smith and Drew Lock.
Head coach Pete Carroll has been singing the praises of his guys but says Smith is ahead in the competition right now — although he gives Lock a fighting chance at catching up.
"“They’ve been really impressive, and it’s not been any one sequence here, or one day here, they have just been solid throughout. We’ve shared a ton of reps, Geno has gone with the first group throughout, but they’ve had very close to equal reps in situational opportunities throughout. They really have been very impressive, so I can’t tell you anything other than that, they’ve done a terrific job so far and they look in control. Geno’s still ahead, you can tell that, but it’s not going to be too much for Drew to be caught up.”"
With no disrespect meant, Smith winning the battle right now isn’t ideal. He’s been a bit of a journeyman and hasn’t been a regular starter since 2014 for the New York Jets. And in those two seasons, Smith completed just 57.9 percent of his passes with a 28-to-36 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
That’s why it still makes sense for them to throw Mayfield into the mix as well. He’s already done more in his career than either player and could help keep the Seahawks relevant.
Potential Baker Mayfield team No. 1: Carolina Panthers
The No. 1 fit for Baker Mayfield remains the Carolina Panthers. This is a team that has a head coach sitting on the hottest of seats after going just 10-23 in his first two seasons.
Matt Rhule knows his job is on the line and that’s why he was interested in an upgrade over Sam Darnold. And that upgrade was nearly Mayfield.
Cleveland and Carolina exchanged trade proposals for the quarterback but the hang-up was reportedly the money owed to the fifth-year quarterback. With a fully guaranteed contract approaching $19 million, the Panthers were trying to get the Browns to eat as much of that as possible.
Carolina was asking for Cleveland to pay roughly $13-$14 million of it and when general manager Andrew Berry said no, the trade fell apart. Carolina then added Matt Corral in the draft but a mid-round pick at the position doesn’t mean their interest in Mayfield is dead.
Instead, they might just be playing it cool themselves and waiting to see if the Browns do indeed soften their stance, or simply release Mayfield outright.
If they do end up cutting ties, there’s no way the Panthers don’t make a phone call. And for the NFL, it could be a fun storyline since the two franchises start the season off by playing one another in Week 1 at Carolina.