Shannon Sharpe suggests Browns are likely to find a trade partner for Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield is one of the last quarterbacks on the trade market without a suitor. The former number one overall pick requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns but hasn't found anyone willing to take on his contract, personality, or recent game tape.
On Tuesday, Shannon Sharpe spoke on Undisputed, predicting Baker Mayfield will find a trade partner around the NFL draft. He cautioned that Mayfield might have to be a bridge quarterback and not a long-term starter. Sharpe said:
"And so for me, I believe this thing is going to have to play out sometime around the draft. Now I think the draft is later in April. And so I think Baker Mayfield is going to be on the Cleveland Browns roster for at least another month until the draft. And then Skip, he's probably going to be a stop-gap. Because if Mel Kiper and Todd McShay’s draft prognostication is true. Three quarterbacks, three to four quarterbacks, are going to go in the first round. Now, okay, if I draft a quarterback in the first round, do I really need Baker as a long-term, or do I need him as a bridge?"
To continue his point, Sharpe brings up a critical point that most of the NFL's quarterback-needy teams have had their vacancies filled. He also notes that the other 31 NFL teams know Mayfield doesn't have leverage. He said:
"And so I think those are the avenues that Baker is finding himself in Skip. Having surgery and there's not a heavy demand for a market for a quarterback because all the quarterbacks that people really, really wanted? They've already been spoken for. So now he's in a very, very perplexing situation, knowing that he can't go back to the Browns. 31 other teams know that. Why should I over any compensation?"
Mayfield's trade value plummets by the day as Sharpe is spot on with his point. His situation mirrors that of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
.@ShannonSharpe on what the Browns will do with Baker Mayfield:
"I think they'll move on from him after the draft. There's no market for him. He's in a similar situation as Jimmy G, they're both damaged goods right now." https://t.co/E8QYXLvYFz
Sharpe finished by labeling Baker Mayfield's trade value at a fifth-round pick at best. He admits the Browns won't be able to find much better on the market. He said:
"And like you said Skip, there’s probably only really like five teams that he can go to. Because a lot of teams, like you said, they've solidified their quarterback situation. So he's in a very, very tough situation. I'm looking at it now, the way it looks now? He's probably going to go for, Cleveland hopes a fourth, but I'm thinking more of a fifth-round fifth or sixth-round draft pick at this point in time. I don't see him getting heavy compensation. The Browns being able to strike heavy compensation from someone else for Baker’s services.”
For the Browns' sake, the sooner they can move on from Mayfield in one way or another, the better. If he isn't destined to reward the franchise with a respectable draft haul, cutting ties could be for the best as criticism from the media has grown by the day.
"What the Browns are doing is embarrassing. They made a choice to move on from the QB that took them from the depths of not just the NFL cellar, but all of sports. Now they're leaving him twisting in the wind bc they did this out of order. They should cut Baker." — @getnickwright https://t.co/YsHIwlfiWf
Which teams could trade for Baker Mayfield?
Baker Mayfield has just a few select teams that could be interested in the former Heisman Trophy winner. The Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the top three teams to keep an eye on.
The Seahawks and Bucs stand out above the Steelers for their respective reasons. The Seahawks' starting quarterback on paper is the turnover-prone Drew Lock.
The Buccaneers could be interested in Mayfield as their backup quarterback to learn behind Tom Brady. That's an idea Skip Bayless advocated in favor of on Undisputed.
Baker Mayfield's injury-ridden 2021 season left a poor taste in the mouths of executives around the NFL. But whoever ultimately takes a chance on him could be pleasantly surprised if he gets back to full strength.