Baker Mayfield Rumors: Teams Interested in Browns QB If Trade Value Decreases

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will reportedly garner interest on the trade market if and when Cleveland's asking price goes down.

Appearing on Get Up, ESPN's Jeff Darlington said Wednesday that teams are waiting for Mayfield's trade value to decrease before making a play for the former No. 1 draft pick.

Another potential hang-up is the Browns reportedly want the team that trades for Mayfield to take on at least some of his salary.

Mayfield became expendable last week when Cleveland acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans for six draft picks, including three first-rounders.

The Browns were initially thought to be out of the running for Watson, and even when it looked like Watson was no longer in the equation, it seemed Cleveland and Mayfield were heading for a breakup.

Before the Watson trade was even close to coming to fruition, Mayfield released the following statement thanking Browns fans and the city of Cleveland:

That seemed to be a farewell message of sorts, and it clearly became one after the Browns managed to get back in the race for Watson and secure him.

Mayfield has had no shortage of ups and downs during his career, and 2021 was undoubtedly among the low points.

Battling an injury to his non-throwing shoulder for most of the season, Mayfield missed three games and went just 6-8 in the contests he started.

He also put up the worst numbers of his career, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

It was a far cry from what Mayfield accomplished as a rookie in 2018 when he finished second in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, as well as in 2020 when he threw for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and a career-low eight interceptions en route to Cleveland reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Mayfield also led the Browns to a win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, which led to the assumption that the Browns and Mayfield were destined to agree to a long-term contract extension.

No deal was reached before the 2021 season, though, and Mayfield essentially played himself out of a contract.

Mayfield underwent surgery to correct his shoulder issue in January, so the hope of any team that acquires him would be that he is much closer to his usual self than he was for most of 2021.

Any team that trades for him would essentially be giving Mayfield a one-year audition since he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2022 season.

It is unclear what the market is like for Mayfield, but Darlington said Wednesday that several of the people he spoke to within the NFL believe Mayfield is better than many of the quarterbacks in the league, including Marcus Mariota, who signed a two-year, $19 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.

There aren't many teams left with a hole at quarterback, but the Seattle Seahawks could potentially be a fit for Mayfield after trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.

Other possible landing spots include the Carolina Panthers and perhaps the Detroit Lions if they want to bring in some competition for Jared Goff.

For now, Mayfield is in a state of flux and is simply waiting to see where he may be able to play some meaningful snaps in 2022 and beyond.