Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that the team will hold a mandatory minicamp practice at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio next week, but he didn’t have anything to say about quarterback Baker Mayfield being there.
Mayfield remains on the Browns’ roster, but has been away from the team since they traded for Deshaun Watson in March. Mayfield, who had left shoulder surgery after the 2021 season, has only missed voluntary work to this point and the team could require him to attend the June 14-16 minicamp or face fines.
On Monday, Stefanski told multiple reporters he had no comment on how the team plans to handle the situation.
They could also excuse Mayfield and that may be a likelier path to take as they’ve been trying to find someone to trade for him since swinging the deal for Watson. That effort has not paid off as teams don’t want to pay Mayfield’s full salary for the 2022 season and the Browns haven’t agreed to offers that would have them pay for the lion’s share.
Everything with Mayfield has played out concurrently with the ongoing civil lawsuits filed against Watson as well as a league investigation into the sexual misconduct claims against him. That investigation could result in a suspension that would leave the Browns in need of another starting quarterback, but there’s been no sign that turning back to Mayfield is on the table at this point.