The Baker Mayfield market, for myriad reasons, does not appear to be booming.
Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns are heading for a split following the trade for Deshaun Watson, but for as rapidly as the quarterback carousel has spun this offseason, there isn’t much of a fit for the 2018 first overall pick.
The two teams that seem most likely to end up with Mayfield are the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers. Both just saw the departure of their longtime quarterbacks and at present will have someone starting who could be pushed by Mayfield.
And while the Browns, who have basically no leverage, might not get more than a mid-round pick for Mayfield, it’s not the trade compensation that’s the problem. Instead, it’s the nearly $19 million fully guaranteed Mayfield is set to earn this season.
And as Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com indicated on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, that’s what is giving the Seahawks pause.
"It’s really hard to say,” Cabot responded when asked where she thought Mayfield would end up. "I’ve heard there might be some interest on the part of the Seahawks', but they’re not sure if they want to pick up the entire salary. So, that’s something to consider."
The Browns almost certainly are not going to outright cut Mayfield because his contract is fully guaranteed and has an $18.59 million dead cap charge.
For that reason, the Browns either are going to have to figure out a way to get Mayfield to restructure his contract to make him more tradable or wait until a starter gets injured.
Either way, it’s a mess that the Browns walked themselves straight into.
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