The Cleveland Browns were informed on Thursday that they were no longer under consideration for a Deshaun Watson trade, as the disgraced Texans QB has reportedly set his sights on one of the NFC South teams pursuing his services.
That sends the Browns back to the drawing board having fully burned the bridge between them and former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, who was not pleased with the team’s decision to pursue Watson and made that clear. The Browns have likewise indicated they want to move on from Mayfield, with ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reporting they want “an adult” at quarterback.
All of this came to a head on Thursday afternoon when Mayfield made an official trade request to the Browns, releasing a statement to ESPN’s Adam Schefter that it’s in the best interest of both sides to move on.
#Browns QB Baker Mayfield has requested a trade, per sources.
Cleveland has been hoping to move forward after its Deshaun Watson pursuit and offered to fly to Texas to meet with Mayfield. But from the QB’s perspective, the bridge is burned and it’s time to move on now.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 17, 2022
Baker Mayfield just told ESPN: “It’s in the mutual interest of both sides for us to move on. The relationship is too far fine to mend. It’s in the best interests of both sides to move on.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2022
However, the Browns quickly offered a rebuttal to Mayfield’s request, informing his agency that they were not going to accommodate it and planned on entering next season with him still under center.
Browns have told Baker Mayfield’s camp they are "not accommodating his request,” per source.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) March 17, 2022
And the #Browns, I'm told, said no to Baker Mayfield's trade request. They do not plan to honor it.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 17, 2022
This could simply be the Browns desperately trying to salvage some kind of leverage in trade talks and maintain what little value Mayfield may still have on the market, but with the star under contract for another year, it very well could be something they’re willing to dig in on and make him play it out. That obviously wouldn’t be the ideal scenario for a team with playoff hopes, but with the top quarterbacks on the market all headed elsewhere, Cleveland doesn’t have a ton of options to find a replacement for Mayfield.
It’s possible things change and they get into discussions about Jimmy Garoppolo or maybe even Matt Ryan, should the Falcons (who also pursued Deshaun Watson) be looking to move on from their veteran signal-caller. Mayfield apparently has his eyes on the Colts, while Seattle may have some interest in him (if the price is right).
Baker Mayfield has strong interest in the #Colts as a potential destination should he be traded from the #Browns, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 17, 2022
I'm told the #Seahawks have discussed exploring acquiring Baker Mayfield at quarterback, per league sources.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 17, 2022
Whatever the case, the drama involving Baker and the Browns isn’t ending anytime soon and things may only get uglier before a resolution is reached.
