Baker Mayfield had reportedly made up his mind that he wouldn’t play for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and that was before the team acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.
According to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Mayfield had “no plans” to play for the Browns next season and requested a trade this past Thursday. Cabot noted that Mayfield’s insistence on moving on may have played a role in the Browns reviving trade talks with the Texans after they had previously been informed that Watson was no longer considering a trade to Cleveland.
PFT added Mayfield was reportedly planning on “boycotting” the Browns until the AFC North franchise agreed to send him elsewhere.
From the report:
“So while Cleveland’s plan seemed to be “if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with,” Mayfield was done. Cabot reports that he “likely” would have skipped the offseason program. That he would have skipped the mandatory minicamp. That he “probably” would have held out of training camp if not traded.
It would have gotten expensive for Mayfield, but every player’s rights are set forth by two contracts — his personal deal with the team and the broader agreement between the league and the union. He had a right to stay away. Even if he showed up, he likely would have continued to ask for a trade. And he quite possibly would have been even more of a handful for the Browns to deal with.”
On Friday, the Browns agreed to send first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, a third-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024 to Houston for Watson and a 2024 fifth-round pick.
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Mayfield is still on the Browns roster, but is expected to be traded soon.
Once it became clear the Browns were pursuing Watson, Mayfield released the following statement on Twitter:
The 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma most notable year in Cleveland came in 2020 when he led the Browns to an 11-5 record and their first playoff appearance since 2002.
Mayfield and the Browns also defeated the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
