Baker Mayfield was probably never going to attend the Cleveland Browns’ offseason workouts. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Browns have decided that’s fine, because there was really no other course of action.
Cleveland and its former top overall NFL Draft pick have reportedly come to an agreement that excuses the four-year veteran from this week’s minicamp workouts.
It’s the logical progression in Mayfield’s banishment from northeastern Ohio, but potentially an eyebrow-raising one following a New York Times report detailing new quarterback Deshaun Watson’s alleged sexual misconduct over several years as a Houston Texan. Watson was facing a lengthy league suspension even before that article was published. The New York Times‘ investigation, which coincides with a 24th accuser filing suit against the quarterback, contains new details that reportedly caught both the Browns and NFL decision makers unaware.
Mayfield would be a proper replacement for Watson in the short term. He could keep the Browns afloat while the starter they gave $230 million in guaranteed money, despite then facing 22 lawsuits, sits. And there’s simply no way that’s going to happen.
The Browns and Baker Mayfield's agent had discussed options in recent days and being excused was considered the most likely scenario throughout those talks. Mayfield can stay away from the team without being subject to fines.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 8, 2022
The Browns have engineered a very public divorce from the player they once hoped would be the face of their franchise.
Mayfield played through injury, as both he and the team around him backslid considerably in 2021. This put his already-fraught future in peril. 2022 is the final season of his rookie contract. Unlike fellow 2018 draftee Josh Allen, there was no lucrative, multi-year extension waiting for him on the other side.
But any question about whether or not Mayfield would return was squashed when ESPN’s Chris Mortenson relayed a report that the Browns wanted an “adult” behind center (and, for emphasis, this was before trading three first-round draft picks and handing $230 million in guarantees to the guy facing numerous lawsuits).
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen says Baker Mayfield and the Browns are breaking up because the Browns want an “adult” at QB pic.twitter.com/cXPIOKNklr
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 16, 2022
Mayfield responded like a grown man, telling the world he had no control over his future and thanking fans for their support. Team owner Jimmy Haslam, known in the business world for his honesty, fired back to suggest those reports were untrue. Haslam then mortgaged his team’s draft future and financial flexibility in a trade for Watson two days later.
That’s left Mayfield in quarterback purgatory. The team that needs him most and offers his greatest chance of success — a dynamic offensive line, excellent run game support and a few useful wideouts — is the one that very publicly burned him this offseason.
While rumblings of a potential trade to Carolina emerged during the 2022 NFL Draft, nothing came of them. Now, he’s stuck at home with a tacit understanding that neither the quarterback nor the franchise that currently holds his contract want him practicing.
There’s plenty of time to re-home Mayfield. Destinations like the Panthers and Seahawks make sense. Cleveland can hold out in hopes of generating leverage and exacting a little more draft capital in return, but barring an 11th-hour injury elsewhere, the rest of the league seems to understand just how bad the situation is for Haslam’s franchise. Those suitors likely will remain unwilling to cough up much in return for a quarterback who has ranked among the top 18 in passer rating only once in four seasons.
The Browns now have to figure out what to do with Mayfield and determine whether or not Watson — who took his Twitter account private amidst the backlash of the Times report in order to cater solely to his 1.4 million followers — should make an appearance at minicamp. Logic suggests he should not be anywhere near the team right now, but expecting Cleveland to do the logical thing is a strategy akin to betting on the Washington Generals.
