Rapoport: Baker Mayfield Most Likely Landing Spots in Browns Trade Are Panthers, Bucs

The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reportedly among the potential landing spots for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in a trade ahead of the 2022 season.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported the update Friday on the Pat McAfee Show:

Mayfield requested a trade from the Browns on March 17 after the front office spent the early stages of the offseason exploring alternatives at quarterback, but when the team thought it was out of the running for Deshaun Watson, it told the 2018 first overall pick it wouldn't accommodate his request, per ESPN's Jake Trotter.

A few days later, Cleveland announced a trade with the Houston Texans for Watson, who faces 22 civil lawsuits from women alleging sexual assault, harassment and misconduct after he hired them for massage sessions, to take over as its No. 1 QB.

That pushed Mayfield, who's entering the final year of his rookie contract, back to the trade block, but so far no deal has been found.

The 27-year-old Texas native said Wednesday on the Ya Neva Know podcast (via NFL.com's Nick Shook) he's frustrated with how the situation has played out.

"I feel disrespected," he said. "One hundred percent because I was told one thing and they completely did another. That's what I'm in the middle of right now. I got my taste of it because I've had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators."

Mayfield has endured an up-and-down four-year tenure as the Browns' starter. He was trending in the right direction after a 2020 season where he posted 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, but his TD-to-INT ratio dropped to 17-13 last season.

Now all signs point toward him getting a fresh start elsewhere before next season.

The Panthers only make sense if they don't select a quarterback with the No. 6 pick in the draft later this month. They already have Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker on the roster, either of whom is capable of handling the backup role behind a prized rookie.

If Carolina goes in a different direction with its first pick, then perhaps it could bring in Mayfield to compete with Darnold and Walker for the top spot on the depth chart.

The Bucs already have future Hall of Famer Tom Brady as their starter, but Mayfield could represent an upgrade over Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask and Ryan Griffin if the team feels a more high-upside backup is necessary for the 44-year-old legend.

Mayfield could follow in the footsteps of former Chicago Bears starter Mitchell Trubisky, who accepted a reserve role behind the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen last year and subsequently received another shot at a starting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.

The Browns may have to wait until after the draft, which runs April 28-30, for the quarterback market to settle and give them a clearer indication of possible trade partners, though.