The Seahawks remain interested in Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and are even open to the idea of extending him, per a report by Josina Anderson earlier this week. It sounds like Mayfield also prefers to go to Seattle, given the choice.
According to Aaron Wilson at Pro Football Network, there’s mutual interest between Mayfield and the Seahawks.
“The interest between the Seahawks and Mayfield is mutual, according to league sources.”
The other main suitor for Mayfield could also be out of the running. Wilson reports that the Panthers are not a likely trade destination at this time.
“The Carolina Panthers, after holding trade discussions during the draft regarding Mayfield that didn’t come close to a deal, are not regarded as likely of a destination as another potential trading partner: the Seattle Seahawks.”
Mayfield himself has mentioned Seattle as somewhere he’d like to end up in a podcast earlier this offseason.
The sticking point is of course Mayfield’s contract, which will pay him a fully-guaranteed $18.858 million this season. Cleveland reportedly is willing to eat around half of that salary to facilitate a trade. However, they’ll likely have to take on more in order to actually get a deal done.
If the Seahawks don’t deal for Mayfield they will start either Geno Smith or Drew Lock at quarterback this season and most likely look to find their next franchise QB in the 2023 NFL draft.
