3 Winners and losers from Baker Mayfield trade

Winner: Everyone following the Browns

When Cleveland landed Watson, they knew he was likely to be suspended for much of the 2022 season. This is why they also went after Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs, to make sure they were as deep as possible in order to brace for such a suspension.

Even so, there seems to be this nonsensical idea that the Browns are about to be blindsided by a long suspension, therefore they should reach out to Mayfield and ask him nicely to come back.

This made such little sense that it was painful to consider.

First, this team was done with Mayfield the minute 2021 was over — and anyone paying attention could see that. Second, there’s no way Mayfield’s mentality would have allowed him to return to the team that openly courted Watson while he was recovering from shoulder surgery.

With him now in Carolina, everyone can move on and the worst suggestion of the offseason can finally go away as well.

Loser: Robbie Anderson

He’s trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube now, but that’s not always an easy thing to do.

When the rumors started to fly that Mayfield could be headed to Carolina, Robbie Anderson voiced his displeasure by responding “Nooooo” to a post suggesting the rumor would come true. Now that it has, Anderson is accusing others of trying to “paint” a narrative that he himself started.

Anderson can say all he wants the media is spinning this but he gave his unsolicited opinion on Mayfield joining the Panthers. By doing so, he puts himself in a spot where a very emotionally-driven quarterback is highly likely to be deciding whether or not the ball goes his way.