Baker Mayfield Trade Rumors: Browns Not Seeking 1st-Round Draft Pick for QB

The Cleveland Browns aren't looking to recoup a first-round pick in a trade involving Baker Mayfield, according to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot.

Cabot added the team is "actively trying to trade him as soon as possible" in the wake of the Deshaun Watson trade.

This would counter reporting from The MMQB's Albert Breer, who wrote Tuesday that Cleveland was looking to secure a first-round pick from a swap.

Based on Cabot's story, the team might still be seriously misjudging how far Mayfield's value has fallen.

Sending out the message that you don't need a first-rounder in return for the 26-year-old may not exactly speed things along when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported one interested suitor asked for Mayfield and a draft pick.

The trouble for the Browns is that they lost a lot of leverage when they acquired Watson. Nobody expects them to keep both quarterbacks on the roster, especially when Mayfield already made his dissatisfaction known before the Watson trade.

Cleveland's bargaining position is weakening by the day as more and more teams look elsewhere for a quarterback.

The Carolina Panthers are one of the few franchises still in the market, but Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson reported Tuesday the Panthers aren't really keen on Mayfield, an opinion he shares toward Carolina.

The Seattle Seahawks are another team that could still plausibly move for the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner, yet Cabot reported they "could get more intrigued at the right price."

At this point, there isn't much reason to offer anything more than a Day 3 draft pick to the Browns based on all of the factors at play. It might even be worth it to roll the dice and see whether they release Mayfield outright as the season gets closer.