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Baker Mayfield Trade Rumors: Browns Looking to Move Contract; Seahawks out on QB
May 3, 2022
The 2022 NFL draft is over, but the Baker Mayfield saga is not.
While a split has seemed inevitable since the Cleveland Browns added Deshaun Watson in March, Mayfield remains a member of the only NFL team he has ever known.
ESPN's Dianna Russini appeared on The Ryen Russillo Podcast on Tuesday and reported the Browns are still looking to move his contract.
Mayfield is set to make $18.9 million during the 2022 campaign before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023. That is a hefty price to pay even for one season of an inconsistent quarterback, and Cleveland wants to shed it in any potential trade.
"The Cleveland Browns do not want to take on that contract," Russini said. "They don't want to pay for that. I don't know the number they're willing to go to—but the last I checked, which was about a week-and-a-half ago—they want nothing to do with that deal. If you want Baker Mayfield, you're going to pay that money. Cleveland's not going to try to split it up with you."
The Seattle Seahawks were speculated as a possible destination for Mayfield at one time, considering they traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason, but they no longer seem like a landing spot.
"The Seahawks have been telling me from Day 1 they have no interest in Baker Mayfield," Russini said. "They're riding Drew Lock, which we can talk about that another time. That's their choice."
Lock hasn't exactly been an All-Pro during his career, seeing as how he is 8-13 as a starter since the Broncos selected him with a second-round pick in 2019. He led the league with 15 interceptions in just 13 games in 2020 and was 0-3 in three starts last year.
He went to the Seahawks as part of the Wilson trade, and they are apparently willing to see if he can turn things around in 2022.
As for Mayfield, finding a trade partner may be exceedingly difficult if the Browns aren't willing to split up the contract.