Editor’s note: This story contains accounts of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or at https://www.rainn.org.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has been training this offseason with several wide receivers while he waits for some clarity on his future in the NFL. The signal-caller has been throwing passes to Giants receiver Alex Bachman along with free agent wideouts Cole Beasley and Alex Bachman in Texas, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
It’s already been a long offseason for Mayfield, who has been on the trade block after Cleveland acquired Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster deal. Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the NFL annual meetings Tuesday he regrets how the trade took place.
Berry said he was forthright with Mayfield’s team that they would be looking at other quarterbacks when they spoke at the NFL combine, but didn’t tell him beforehand that the team would be meeting with Watson on March 15. Once he heard about it, Mayfield penned a heartfelt letter thanking fans for their support, and the next day it was reported he requested a trade. The day after that, Watson was dealt to Cleveland and signed a five-year, $230 million deal that is fully guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Under his new deal, Watson will lose only $55,556 for every game he’s suspended.
Unfortunately for both parties, there doesn’t seem to be many teams interested in Mayfield, who is set to earn more than $18 million in 2022. Mayfield could remain on the Browns’ roster and potentially start if Watson is suspended.
The NFL is still investigating whether Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policies. It was reported Wednesday that an impartial arbitrator agreed upon by the NFL and NFLPA would decide his discipline.
Watson faces 22 active civil lawsuits that detail graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occurred during massage therapy sessions. He was traded after a Harris County, Texas, grand jury returned nine “no” bills on nine criminal complaints against Watson. After the trade, a second grand jury in Brazoria County declined to charge Watson on a 10th count.
These accounts range from Watson refusing to cover his genitals to “touching [a plaintiff] with his penis and trying to force her to perform oral sex on him.” According to Jenny Vrentas of The New York Times, the criminal complaints he previously faced involved similar descriptions, including Watson’s ejaculating on them and other forms of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault.
