The Cleveland Browns put themselves in an awkward position. They lost all leverage to trade disgruntled quarterback Baker Mayfield when they acquired Deshaun Watson.
That, plus his reported character issues, injury-plagued season, and huge salary have made it virtually impossible for them to find a trade suitor. But, fortunately for everybody involved, this drama might come to an end pretty soon.
According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork, the Seattle Seahawks are still interested in making a move for Mayfield, who'd also welcome this trade.
The Seahawks QB room of Drew Lock and Geno Smith isn't exactly impressive, which is why this doesn't come as a surprise:
"The interest between the Seahawks and Mayfield is mutual, according to league sources. The Seahawks’ depth chart at quarterback dictates this situation as much as anything," wrote Wilson. "The Seahawks have Drew Lock and Geno Smith currently competing for the starting job. They have $16.3 million in salary cap space available, so they would need to make some adjustments to absorb Mayfield’s current salary or extend him."
Moreover, a leaked picture from the Seahawks' fan shop may have accidentally leaked that a trade for Mayfield is already in the works:
"This was leaked on the Seahawks fan shop earlier today… It doesn’t seem like they would make this the way to announce it to the public but definitely something to keep an eye on," reported Browns fan account CLEByLandon.
But things could still get complicated. For a deal to work, Mayfield will most likely have to give up some of his salary, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk:
"At some point, don’t be surprised if Mayfield isn’t squeezed to cut his pay a little bit in order to get this done," Florio reported. "Something like $1 million could be the amount that closes the gap and gives him his best chance to get himself properly ready to have the kind of season that will make him one of the hotter names on the open marker in 2023."
But even if the Browns get past that issue, they still have a bigger hurdle to get past.
According to multiple reports, the league is looking to make an example out of Deshaun Watson and hand him a huge suspension. So, with Mayfield out of the picture, who's going to start for them?
The Browns could be looking at a full year without their new starting QB. That means he'd spend at least two seasons on the shelf, so how good will he be once he comes back after such a long layoff?
That's why some say the Browns will always be the Browns.
