CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – On to plan B for the Browns.
Cleveland has been eliminated from the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes a league source confirmed to 92.3 The Fan and now the team is pivoting back to Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback – assuming he is even willing to return.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network first reported Watson's decision to eliminate Cleveland from consideration Thursday.
Browns EVP/GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski were among the contingent from the Browns who flew down to Houston on Tuesday to meet with Watson to convince him to waive his no trade clause and come to Cleveland.
It didn't work.
And now the Browns have a serious problem on their hands and a gigantic mess – beyond the PR hit they were willing to take by acquiring Watson and the baggage of sexual assault and harassment allegations he comes with – in trying to repair what is clearly a fractured relationship with Mayfield.
The Texans required teams to submit trade proposals before allowing Watson to meet with them, which the Browns submitted, but Watson ultimately decided Cleveland was the first team of the four to eliminate from his consideration.
The meeting with Watson upset Mayfield and prompted him to post a “thank you,” which read like a goodbye, to the city of Cleveland on his social media accounts Tuesday night.
The Browns, who say that they plan to move forward with Mayfield as their starter, may find that ship has sailed, the toothpaste unable to be put back in the tube, the horse out of the barn and the bridge burned beyond recognition, and not just because of their courtship of Watson.
Sources tell 92.3 The Fan that Chris Mortenson's report Wednesday of the team wanting an "adult" at quarterback was not received well by Mayfield's camp either and further angered the quarterback.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Mayfield may ask the Browns to be traded as a result of all of this if the team doesn't move him first.
The message this week was clear: Mayfield is the Browns quarterback until they can find someone better and that does not sit will with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks are in the market for starting quarterbacks after trading theirs this week. Carson Wentz was sent to the Washington Commanders and Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
The Saints, Falcons and Panthers still remain in the running to acquire Watson, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who faces civil lawsuits related to accusations of sexual misconduct and harassment from 22 women during therapeutic massage sessions, as of Thursday afternoon.
The Browns took a risk and got burned, bad.
They now have a quarterback problem of their own to deal with and it may force them to move Mayfield and settle for a lateral move or even a downgrade.
