The Cleveland Browns are ready to move on from former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield and here are three trades they would be thrilled to accept
We’re a couple of weeks into April and Baker Mayfield is still surprisingly with the Cleveland Browns. Of course, this isn’t by design as the team is ready to move on, but his fully guaranteed $18.8 million contract is making it hard for them to move on.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible though it might just take time. The good news for the Browns is that some of the dominos are falling and as teams fail to get the player they want in the upcoming draft, there could be even more options for them.
Whether it’s due to missing out on a prospect or simply realizing their guy shouldn’t be the guy, here are three teams that could finally make a move for Mayfield — and three proposals the Browns would be thrilled to take.
Baker Mayfield trade proposal No. 3
Seattle Seahawks receive:
- Baker Mayfield, QB
Cleveland Browns receive:
- Al Woods, DT
- Agree to take on 50 percent of Mayfield’s salary
The Seattle Seahawks currently have Drew Lock penciled in as their starter which isn’t very encouraging. We can discuss the flaws Baker Mayfield has at length but it’s hard to say he’s not still an improvement over Lock who has not only struggled with inconsistent play but also has had durability concerns.
There will be those who say Seattle is rolling with Lock because they’re trying to rebuild but that’s not happening. Pete Carroll is going to be 71 this season and isn’t trying to start over. He wants to win and Mayfield gives him a better shot than Lock.
With all that being said, this trade could help both teams. Seattle gets a new quarterback while Cleveland adds a big defensive tackle in Al Woods, who fills a major need for them. The real key, however, is the salary as the Browns eat half of the contract.
It might feel like a huge price to pay but Ian Rapoport has already said this could be the only way to make a deal work.
Baker Mayfield trade proposal No. 2
Carolina Panthers receive:
- Baker Mayfield, QB
- 2022 fourth-round pick
Cleveland Browns receive:
- Robby Anderson, WR
- Kamal Martin, LB
This is one that could make sense during the draft. The New Orleans Saints made a move to get the No. 16 and No. 19 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and it doesn’t seem likely that they mortgaged some of their future to stay put and hope some decent picks fall to them.
Instead, this feels calculated and their end game could be to leapfrog the Carolina Panthers, who have their eyes on Kenny Pickett. Should the Saints do this, Carolina might be ready to play ball.
Right now, the Panthers have Sam Darnold, who was ironically the player many thought Cleveland would take with the selection they used on Mayfield. Darnold started out hot in 2021 for the Panthers — after being traded by the New York Jets — but then he completely fell apart.
With Matt Rhule sitting on the hottest of seats right now, it could be worth taking a shot with Mayfield and in this proposal, they also land a fourth-round pick as they surrender wide receiver Robby Anderson and linebacker Kamal Martin.
Anderson had a huge season in 2020 when he had 1,096 yards on 95 receptions but then saw his production dip last season as he had 53 receptions (on just 26 fewer targets) for 519 yards. He’s a solid deep threat still but if the Panthers believe in Terrace Marshall who they took in Round 2 last season, it could be worth seeing if they can use him to land Mayfield.
Throwing Kamal Martin in helps Cleveland accept the deal since they’re thin at linebacker and while Martin hasn’t truly broken out, he still has a lot of tools and can be helpful on special teams.
Baker Mayfield trade proposal No. 1
Pittsburgh Steelers receive:
- Baker Mayfield, QB
Cleveland Browns receive:
- Justin Layne, CB
- 3rd Round Pick
This final proposal is one that the Cleveland Browns would not want to do unless they had no other choice. The Pittsburgh Steelers could use someone to compete with Mitchell Trubisky — no, Mason Rudolph is not that guy — and Baker Mayfield could be the perfect person for the job.
Mayfield wouldn’t be asked to carry the load in Pittsburgh since they have a strong defense and Najee Harris at running back to help him out. They also have a great coaching staff capable of getting the best out of him.
But why would Cleveland trade him within the division? There are two answers, the first being the compensation received.
In this proposal, Pittsburgh sends Justin Layne to Cleveland which gives them a replacement for M.J. Stewart. Layne has yet to live up to his pre-draft hype but he’s still just 24-years old and boasts excellent size and length. There’s also the third-round pick which in itself is probably more than any other team is offering.
The second reason Cleveland should make this move is that it might be the best way to help themselves in an unavoidable situation.
Right now, Pittsburgh feels like the top spot for Baker Mayfield to land. The Browns can either make a trade that gives them something in return while pushing the burden of paying the quarterback to the Steelers, or release him and watch him go to Pittsburgh anyway.
And if that scenario played out, Cleveland would still be paying Mayfield to play for one of their biggest rivals.
It might not look great to send him to the Steelers but it also could be their best play.