“No one is going to pay that freight” - NFL insider believes Baker Mayfield will never be traded for his full $18.5 million salary
Baker Mayfield and his $18.5 million-dollar salary will be traded, according to NFL insider Albert Breer. Breer stated that, if a team wanted the Cleveland Browns quarterback, it could be akin to the Carolina Panthers acquiring quarterback Sam Darnold last season, to become that team’s starter. Breer went on to say that no one’s paying that freight to compete to be a starter:
"I believe that, if a team was there to take Mayfield like the Panthers did Sam Darnold last year, and give him the starting job and let him go, the Browns would have a taker for his fully-guaranteed, $18.858 million fifth-year option. I also know that, absent that, no one is going to pay that freight, even if such a team wanted Mayfield to compete for its starting job.”
Breer concluded his point by saying that the ultimate downfall of the Browns trading their top draft in the 2018 NFL Draft was the timing of the trade for quarterback watson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Deshaun Watson:
“I think that, ultimately, the timing of the Deshaun Watson trade is what screwed both the Browns and Mayfield on finding the former first overall pick a new home, and it’s reflected in how the league sees Mayfield. The music stopped, and Baker didn’t have a chair to sit in."
“I haven’t even stepped foot in Cleveland yet and he already reached out to me.”
- #Browns CB Martin Emerson when talking about QB Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland traded for Watson this offseason to supplant the former Oklahoma Sooners signal-caller as the team's quarterback of the future. He started 59 games over the last four seasons, leading the Browns to the playoffs in the 2020 season for the first time since the 2002 season.
Baker Mayfield 2018-2021: 29-30 record, 92/56 TD/INT rate
Browns pre-Baker 2014-2017: 11-53 record, 62/70 TD/INT
He’s a bust alright — his bust should be in the Browns HOF
He’s fourth in franchise history in passing yards (14,125), fifth in touchdown passes (92), and fourth in passes completed (1,185).
What happens to Baker Mayfield now?
For Browns general manager Andrew Berry, trading the 27-year-old is becoming much more difficult at this stage of the offseason. If there's a team that could be interested in his services, Cleveland will likely have to pay the majority of the $18.858 million he’s owed this upcoming season.
Another option on the table is releasing the quarterback altogether, which carries a cap hit of $18.858 million.
A final option would be the Browns holding on to the quarterback for the 2022 season, but that option could be a final resort for Cleveland. We’ll see what happens as this situation looks to be far from over between Mayfield and the Browns.