Report: “Holding pattern” for Seahawks, Panthers, Browns on Baker Mayfield

Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens
Getty Images

Three weeks after the draft, quarterback Baker Mayfield continues to be on the Cleveland roster. That likely will continue to be the case.

Jeff Howe of TheAthletic.com reports that a “holding pattern” exists as to Mayfield.

Howe reports that the Panthers and Seahawks remain interested in Mayfield. The problem continues to be the amount of Mayfield’s $18.8 million guaranteed salary that Cleveland will pay, and that his next employer will carry.

Mayfield can play, if heathy. He’s currently not healthy, which reduces the urgency to resolve things.

Then there’s the Deshaun Watson situation. If Watson ends up being suspended for a significant piece of the season, the Browns may need Mayfield. Before they can do that, however, they need to rebuild the bridge to Baker.

That may be impossible. But that’s what the Browns should be doing. Both sides ultimately may need each other, and Mayfield’s best option could be to play for the Browns instead of the Seahawks or the Panthers. Mayfield may need some persuading to get there.

43 responses to “Report: “Holding pattern” for Seahawks, Panthers, Browns on Baker Mayfield

  1. Browns gotta pay up to dump him. They made their choice with Watson. Time to move on from commercial boy.

  2. Mayfield has an attitude, but he’s definitely starting caliber (top 20 qb). Give him a stout defense and he can get you to the playoffs.

  3. I would venture to say that management has messed this up about as badly as possible. I truly feel for the fans.

  4. Mayfield is the guy that got the argg back in Cleveland, he may not be the messiah but He should be given a little love.

  5. Do not feel bad for Browns fans. I am one. The great majority wants Mayfield gone! He is still on the team because he is worth a third round draft choice. That is all. He will NEVER play for the Browns again. It doesn’t matter what he wants, he is done here. If he wants to play this year he has to negotiate with the Browns. Until he does, nothing will happen.

  6. If Watson is suspended this season (which is more and more likely with details and interviews coming out), Mayfield should absolutely refuse to play for Cleveland to spite them. Let them trot Jacoby Brisset out there and face the backlash.

  7. This continues to be the weirdest storyline. The Browns clearly want to move on from Mayfield. Mayfield definitely wants to move on from the Browns. I don’t understand why the Browns don’t just eat a portion of the contract and move on. Given market rate for starting QBs, a team seemingly would be willing to pay him $10 Mln to play out the season if the Browns ate a chunk. It would be pretty sensational drama to see him play out the season with the Browns though. That would be worthy of a Hard Knocks series alone.

  8. They made their decision to move on with Watson. Just move on. You said Baker wasn’t acting like an adult and you aren’t acting like adults.

  9. Fault on both sides, but this is 80% on the Browns. How on earth could this be so badly managed?

  10. Why the heck would anyone want him when Minshew is better and cheaper? Starting QB sitting on the bench in Philly behind a QB who is clearly inferior and nobody is trading for him. Minshew hasn’t even had the opportunity to start on a decent team, and THIS dude gets all the press and interest? Makes no sense at all. Seahawks or Panthers or somebody needs to catch Minshew Mania and go get that franchise QB now! Are you listening, too Giants??

  11. Maybe Mayfield would be better off somewhere else. I’ve seen him make plays, he has talent. Why is it that OBJ looked great on the Rams, is it because Stafford is so much better, or because the Browns are so much worse?

  12. If I were Mayfield’s friend, I would tell him to suck it up and play for Cleveland. By taking the high road, he demonstrates maturity and professionalism and comes out of this looking like the better man. It will go a long way towards addressing the concerns that he is “pouty” etc.

  13. Browns are an utter disgrace. The Browns should be fired for “Behavior Detrimental to the Player”… Just the opposite of what teams use to break their portion of the contract to the players they signed.

  14. This narrative that there’s any chance in the world that Mayfield is going to play for the Browns again is hilarious and par for the course here.

  15. Bottom line, so long as the Browns have to pay Mayfield they should keep him.

    That pattern will likely be “holding” until their contract expires no matter how many more articles written about it in the meantime.

    There is simply no reason that the Browns should pay Mayfield to play for anyone else.

    If Mayfield wants to play for another team he can give up the $$$ or if another team wants him to play for them then they can pay it, otherwise Baker stays a Brown.

  16. I for one don’t think the Panthers are interested in Baker, because they actually got the one QB in the draft they liked and had a first round grade for him. It does not matter who the QB is in Carolina if they have not fixed that Offensive line, they are going to be in trouble.

  17. Straight up trade. G Smith for Mayfield. G Smith is a high end backup with a similar skill set to Watson. Unloading G Smith, gives the ‘Hawks room. I have no dog in this fight, neither are a team I root for. However they still need the Browns to eat some of Mayfield’s salary.

  18. It’s clear they’ll need to pay the majority of the salary to move him, but they may want to wait this one out.

    1.) They might need him this year depending on how the NFL ruling shakes out.

    2.) QB’s go down, teams get desperate and will be more likely to absorb the costs.

    A deal now is lost leverage.

  19. Watson will absolutely be suspended, and Mayfield will never play another down for the Browns. “Truck Stop” Jimmy Haslam has created an untenable situation by alienating Mayfield when the Browns will eventually need someone to take the field while Watson serves his suspension. The fact that he is too stubborn to budge on the money aspect of a Mayfield trade and too blind to see the need for a QB to play until Watson is cleared tells us quite a bit about the IQ of the owner.

  20. What a mess the Browns have on their hands and all their own doing !! Baker should have had the attitude knocked out of him long ago and the Watson signing and money is beyond ridiculous

  21. If Mayfield wants revenge, he’s better off playing the long game. Right now he has 1 year to prove he’s worth the $18.8M the Browns committed to him, and he can only do that if he’s on the field, be it for the Browns, Panthers, Seahawks, Giants or whoever. For better or worse, assuming Watson gets a lengthy suspension, the Browns’ roster gives him the best chance to improve his stock. If he does, he’ll have leverage to negotiate a much better contract in ’23 from a larger pool of suitors. Otherwise, the best he’ll likely do is a one-year prove it deal from a bottom feeder. And hey, success being the best revenge, were he to take the Browns to the SB, then sign a monster FA deal and bolt, I’d imagine that’d be way more satisfying than spending the year on his couch out of spite, however well founded his animus towards the organization may be.

  22. The best thing for both is a clean start with another franchise.

  23. No team will want to pay him $18M+ after his surgery and not seeing how he has recovered by getting on the field and proving he can still do it. If he re-negotiates his deal down to about $10M or so, somebody will pull the trigger on a deal for him. If he does well in 22 the big contract is there for him in 23. If he decides to sit out and spite the Browns, that only looks bad for him.

  24. Best thing for Baker is that Watson gets suspended next year and he plays like a Champion. No way Browns can tag him after next year without a grievance being filed. Baker will be able to choose his team with long term deal.

  25. betterthanflorio says:
    May 20, 2022 at 2:14 pm
    Why the heck would anyone want him when Minshew is better and cheaper? Starting QB sitting on the bench in Philly behind a QB who is clearly inferior and nobody is trading for him. Minshew hasn’t even had the opportunity to start on a decent team, and THIS dude gets all the press and interest? Makes no sense at all. Seahawks or Panthers or somebody needs to catch Minshew Mania and go get that franchise QB now! Are you listening, too Giants??

    ————————————————————————————————

    Come on Minshew. Stop posting with these ghost accounts and go out there and start practicing your throws! You really need it.

  26. Why the heck would anyone want him when Minshew is better and cheaper? Starting QB sitting on the bench in Philly behind a QB who is clearly inferior and nobody is trading for him. Minshew hasn’t even had the opportunity to start on a decent team, and THIS dude gets all the press and interest? Makes no sense at all. Seahawks or Panthers or somebody needs to catch Minshew Mania and go get that franchise QB now! Are you listening, too Giants??

    Minshew is Taylor Heinicke with a mustache. Sucks

  27. The only ” mess” the Browns created was realizing Mayfield wasnt good enough ( film study tells that answer) to take them where they desire to go, and then jumping on the opportunity to acquire a better player AT THE TIME THAT PLAYER BECAME AVAILABLE. It was late March when Watson became available. Many teams had already moved on QBs in early March as the new league season began. Folks here insinuating that once Watson became available ( late March) the Browns should have traded Mayfield ( to who??) within the 8 days that it took them to pursue / acquire Watson. Think……for a minute…..of just how unrealistic that is. Not possible. Mayfield will be unloaded before the regular season starts….and the Browns are going to get something for him

  28. The Browns are the Browns. I almost feel sorry for Watson…almost. Sure he’s getting a TON of money but he’s also walking into the most dysfunctional FO in the league. Dare I say more dysfunctional than even the Commanders.

  29. dartmouthstevens says:
    May 20, 2022 at 2:40 pm
    Straight up trade. G Smith for Mayfield. G Smith is a high end backup with a similar skill set to Watson. Unloading G Smith, gives the ‘Hawks room. I have no dog in this fight, neither are a team I root for. However they still need the Browns to eat some of Mayfield’s salary.
    ——————————————————————————————————————
    Similar skill set? High end back-up? You mean a guy with a career passing completion percentage of under 60% and has thrown more interceptions then TDs? I would call that a mediocre backup at best.

  30. In order to build a bridge back to Baker, the Browns will have to give him a raise! If or when, Watson is suspended, Three million more should do it. HA HA HA it’s all about the Benjamin’s.

  31. Meanwhile, Int. Jimmy G. sits at home ranting “Hey, HEY!!!! What about MEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee? Am I invisible or something?!?!?”

  32. Seattle is an obvious team for Mayfield…I could see him playing for the Seahawks IF his contract somehow reduced…maybe Seattle throws in a draft pick (They have 10 for next year)….

  33. Still can’t believe Browns fans gave up on Baker that quick. Personally I’d rather have a slightly above-average quarterback who gets us into the playoffs almost every year then a so-called Elite quarterback who’s been accused of sexual assault by over 20 women

  34. Trade Mayfield to Seattle for Lock or Geno as the fill-in for Watson while suspended. Can’t really do that in Carolina (Darnold costs the same)

  35. Regardless of Browns playoff entry prior year or poor play with an injury this year, the Browns tried to trade for potential top production and ended up paying top dollar for potential while alienating the questionable future but current QB who was a former #1 draft choice. Browns structured Watson’s contract so if Watson is suspended in 2022, he won’t lose much of his guaranteed money. (Note that there is a common misconception of the ‘guaranteed money’ – the Browns do have outs.) Wouldn’t it be interesting if the NFL put a paid suspension on Watson until the cases were all resolved then implemented a non-paid suspension one game for each lawsuit in order to circumvent the Browns creative contract? Watson would ‘earn’ some $1m holding a clipboard the first year and then lose multi-millions for up to two years. At this point, here are the main options:
    1)Browns trade Mayfield. Browns don’t know Watson suspension outcome and roll the dice. Browns will probably need to eat salary and/or draft capital and Mayfield probably will need to let go some of his locked money. There doesn’t seem to be (and hasn’t been) a team anxious to trade for Mayfield, so discounts would be needed. Browns hold now hoping another team has a QB injury and gives them leverage.
    2)Mayfield holds out….Browns go with Watson and/or Brissett, BUT Browns save up to 18+M and keep rights to Mayfield for one additional year (plus future tagging), and can trade him in a potentially more lucrative environment in future years.
    3)Watson cleared to play. Mayfield holds a clipboard and Browns don’t pay a competitor team to start their payroll against them.
    4)Watson suspended and Browns and Mayfield both realize that it is in their best interest to play together.
    There will likely be other options that pop up, but I think option 4 is the most likely to occur at this point. Sure the Browns ‘were the Browns’ and Mayfield has personality disorders, but the Browns have a playoff team pending the QB and Mayfield could significantly increase his market value by having a good year on a great team. Hold on popping your corn, the Browns are going to wait till more information becomes available.

  36. Think about what Watson’s looming punishment is doing to the league. Its making 3 organizations hold fast while awaiting a verdict on what the league will do this year with Watson. The Texans made it really easy on Goodell by holding him out all year and props to them. They eventually caved to his demands but not before they milked all the value out of him that they could. If Cleveland doesn’t win multiple playoff games and threaten a birth to the Super Bowl isn’t this a failed move? Baker got them to the playoffs. If Watson can’t then he’s Albert Haynesworth with the ball in his hands.

  37. Given Mayfield’s salary it was obvious to everyone except the Browns that they weren’t going to get anything for him after they traded for Watson. They’re just hoping that another team will suffer a QB injury. This is how the Browns treat a guy who admittedly didn’t live up to the #1 pick but still got them to the playoffs for the first time in many years. Future free agents should take note and treat the Browns as a last resort.

  38. I would be disappointed if the Hawks got him.

    They have multiple first round picks next season and could get a franchise QB. Baker will never be great, but he’ll be good enough to make sure Hawks don’t pick high.

    Go with what you have. If Lock turns out to be better than expected, fine. If not, we’ll suffer one year and have a high pick next year.

  39. I don’t know who’s worse in trying to milk this Baker thing to make it bigger than it is this site or Skip Bayless? Baker wants out of Cleveland and thought there was a market for himself and found out the hard way that there wasn’t. Cleveland tried to protect him by denying his trade request twice but he had to learn the hard way because he’s stubborn. There is no story anymore. Unless he is traded the guy is going to have to suck it up like Colin Kaepernick had to when he tried to pull the same thing with the 49ers and had the same result of no one wanting to pay his salary. No team in the Browns cap situation would release a player making 18 million guaranteed. They’re something like 26 million under the cap with him, they can afford to keep him till he hits free agency if they want.

  40. covid19 says:
    May 21, 2022 at 1:00 pm
    How do you know Mayfield isn’t healthy?

    10Rate This

    ___________________________________________

    He had shoulder surgery at the end of January. Recovery time is 4 to 6 months.

  41. The thing that no one is mentioning when they craft up these stories, Seattle only has around $6m in effective cap space (once they sign their draft picks). Cleveland has $20m more in cap space than Seattle does. It also does not follow the Schneider spend and roster model that got Seattle to two Superbowls. Baker to Seattle is an absolute smoke screen.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.