BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Andrew Berry was able to make two trades and add nine players to the Browns roster over the weekend, but he failed to make the trade everyone is waiting on and subtract Baker Mayfield.
It is an unfortunate, yet unsurprising development following the NFL Draft as the market for Mayfield continues to be lukewarm at best.
“I would not say it is any more challenging than really a lot of situations that cross a general manager’s desk,” Berry said of the situation involving Mayfield and the challenge of trading a player everyone knows needs to be moved.
Friday night there was some buzz that maybe Carolina would take Mayfield off the Browns’ hands, but the talks never materialized into anything close to an agreement and those rumblings vanished into thin air the moment the Panthers traded into the third round at No. 94 and selected Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.
After the Browns guaranteed all $230 million in Deshaun Watson’s new contract, the Panthers along with other NFL teams aren’t in a hurry to do Cleveland any favors considering the ripple effects on future quarterback deals that contract is expected to have.
Carolina is out of the Mayfield business and the Browns are now stuck with him going into the meat of their voluntary offseason program which will culminate with the mandatory minicamp in mid-June.
Don’t be surprised to see Mayfield excused from having to report to Berea for the minicamp and allowed to remain at home in Texas to rehab his surgically repaired left shoulder.
“We will deal with it as it comes,” Berry said Saturday.
The bottom line is this: Mayfield is not in the building and he is not a distraction to the team or coaching staff. He remains a Brown in name only. Until he gets traded questions will continue to be asked but that is as far as the perceived distraction goes.
While this situation feels like the worst-case scenario for the Browns, Berry isn’t approaching it that way.
“It is a fluid situation,” Berry said. “We will deal with it day by day. We are pleased with the weekend and pleased with the guys that we added.”
Mayfield is guaranteed $18.858 million this season because of the fifth-year option on his rookie contract being exercised in April 2021. Who would’ve thought at the time coming off an 11-5 playoff season that decision would ultimately prove to be a major thorn in the side for the franchise and Berry?
Berry simply isn’t going to cut a check for nearly $19 million and release Mayfield or give him away for a seventh-round pick.
Mayfield does have value as an experienced starter that has proven his ability to win games.
Mayfield is 30-31, including the playoffs, as a starter and he had the second-longest streak of consecutive starts in franchise history before dislocating his left shoulder in Week 6 that exacerbated his torn left labrum injury suffered in Week 2 which forced him to miss a Thursday night win over Denver.
He has a 61.6 career completion percentage for 14,125 yards with 92 touchdowns but an NFL-worst since 2018 56 interceptions. Still, Mayfield can play and win in the NFL.
As of now there is no market, but things quickly change in the NFL and Berry is banking on a team needing a starting quarterback at some point.
With the Browns already on the hook for Mayfield’s salary, and likely going to have to pay a significant portion of it when they do trade him, Berry is motivated to maximize Mayfield as an asset – and that’s exactly what he is to the Browns regardless of the perception the situation has become a liability.
Berry’s job is to get the most for Mayfield and if the Browns are going to be on the hook for a massive portion of Mayfield’s salary just to facilitate a trade, you can bet that Berry is going to get the return he is looking for.
Even if he has to wait for it.