When the Browns signed Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $200+ million fully-guaranteed contract, the assumption was that Baker Mayfield's time in Cleveland was coming to an end. There had already been rumors out there that the team wasn't interested in offering Mayfield a long-term extension, and potential trades with the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, among others, were being openly discussed.
Now, with about a month left until the team reports to training camp, it seems like Watson may be headed toward an indefinite suspension that will see him miss, at the least, this entire upcoming season. Mayfield is under contract for one more year, but according to his latest comments, the window for smoothing things over may have already closed. Speaking at his youth football camp in Norman, Oklahoma on Tuesday, Mayfield told reporters that, in his opinion, both sides are 'ready to move on.'
"I think I got frustrated with it not happening before mini-camp and all those things," he said. "But that's the stuff that's out of my control. So, you know, let those things happen and fall into place. So right now I'm just controlling what I can and enjoying this.
"I think it's been pretty obvious that the mutual decision on both sides is to move on. I'm thankful for my four years in Cleveland. There's a lot of ups and downs, and a ton of learning experiences that I'll forever keep with me -- teammates and friends and relationships that I'll have for a lifetime ... I think for [reconciliation] to happen, there'd have to be some reaching out. But we're ready to move on, I think, on both sides."
