Round and round the quarterback carousel goes, where does Baker Mayfield land next? Well, that’s about anybody’s guess.
After the Browns stunningly landed the Texans’ Deshaun Watson on Friday, the attention turned to a certain quarterback on Cleveland’s roster, whose trade request was turned down just 24 hours ago.
Following the shocking series of events, Mayfield informed the Browns that he’d prefer to be traded to the Colts, according to The Athletic, after the departure of Carson Wentz.
Mayfield, who has reportedly grown frustrated with the Browns over the years, penned an apparent goodbye note to Cleveland on Tuesday, the same day it was revealed his team met with Watson.
“I have no clue what happens next, which is the meaning behind the silence I had had during the duration of this process,” Mayfield wrote at the time.
Although it had widely been reported that the Browns were out of the Watson sweepstakes, with the Saints and Falcons remaining, the former first-round pick waived his no-trade clause to go to Cleveland, getting a five-year, $230 million contract — fully guaranteed.
The Saints are now expected to stick with free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston, who is currently rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered at the end of last season.
As for Mayfield, although he reportedly has his sights set on Indianapolis, there are other teams tossing their names into the ring for the Browns’ first-overall pick in 2018.
The Seahawks will reportedly make a push to trade for Mayfield after trading away Russell Wilson earlier this month to the Broncos in a mega-deal.
It is unclear if Mayfield will be at full strength at the start of the 2022 season. He is currently working his way back from a January surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left non-throwing shoulder.
The quarterback played through a number of injuries during the Browns’ 8-9 season last year.