NFL: Baker Mayfield requests trade

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Teams will just wait until he is cut loose.

 

[DoyleG]

Knowing that the Browns have to get rid of Mayfield, would any team actually trade for him or just wait until he's cut?

More likely to get cut.

The way they handled it has eliminated most of the trade value.

 

[StreetHawk]

More likely to get cut.

The way they handled it has eliminated most of the trade value.

He’s a nearly $19 mill dead cap charge. Like same as Darnold at $18 mill. Both on 5th year options. No savings in releasing him. May have to eat some of the money to save some of the $19 mill.

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

Just a rumor I've seen floated around but apparently before the Cousins' extension the Browns offered Baker and two seconds for him but the Vikings declined and that decision may have came from ownership.

If true, I woulda took that and ran from a Vikings perspective. Get out from Kirk bleeding you dry in both cash and cap space, run with Baker for a year and if KOC can't fix him you move on and find your own guy in 2023 draft.

But the Vikings rather just run back Spileman/Zimmer's aging/underachieving team just with a different coach and GM for some reason.

 

[StreetHawk]

Just a rumor I've seen floated around but apparently before the Cousins' extension the Browns offered Baker and two seconds for him but the Vikings declined and that decision may have came from ownership.

If true, I woulda took that and ran from a Vikings perspective. Get out from Kirk bleeding you dry in both cash and cap space, run with Baker for a year and if KOC can't fix him you move on and find your own guy in 2023 draft.

But the Vikings rather just run back Spileman/Zimmer's aging/underachieving team just with a different coach and GM for some reason.

Vikings had cousins on the books for $45 mill cap charge with a $35 base salary. So a swap would have left them with $10 mill dead cap on cousins plus take on Baker at $19 mill so $29 mill on QB but a downgrade at the position but puts them in position to get out of it by end of the season.

Browns would end up paying $35 mill cap charge for cousins.

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

Vikings had cousins on the books for $45 mill cap charge with a $35 base salary. So a swap would have left them with $10 mill dead cap on cousins plus take on Baker at $19 mill so $29 mill on QB but a downgrade at the position but puts them in position to get out of it by end of the season.

Browns would end up paying $35 mill cap charge for cousins.

Still would have saved 6m against the cap this year when they were in cap hell and have had the option to do whatever they wanted next year at QB, instead of probably being stuck with Cousins again (Plus an extra 2nd this year and next). 2022 should have been a transition/rebuild year for them. I'd have even considered moving on from some high priced 30+ veterans like Thielen, Smith and Kendricks, even as much as I love them. But instead they're going to try to run it back just to win 7-9 games again, and in the NFC i think they could have done that anyway even with Baker. I mean the Eagles made the playoffs last year.

I think KAM and KOC are just being setup to fail. Someone above them thinks this team is way better than it is. And I know the owners think going into a "rebuild" means you become the Jets or Lions, they'd rather perpetually be the Flames or Flyers of recent times than have a 4 win season or two even if it meant becoming a legit contender at the end of it. This isn't the NHL or NBA, if your team is ran right you can turn it around in a year or two. Look at the Bengals. They basically rather hope for the 07 and 11 Giants flukes than a more sustained success.

 

[Troy McClure]

More likely to get cut.

The way they handled it has eliminated most of the trade value.

I think the Browns went into this knowing Baker’s negligible trade value. It sounds like this possibility is a big factor in why they re-structured both Watson and Cooper’s contracts to both have very small cap numbers this season. They might have expected they’d have to eat $19 million in dead cap money.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

If anything, the Browns are the ones that killed his trade value by continuing to play him when he clearly wasn't healthy and then spending the offseason to date throwing him under the bus. A Baker Mayfield coming off an injury-shortened season without an organizational lashing would've gotten at least something back.

 

[Troy McClure]

If anything, the Browns are the ones that killed his trade value by continuing to play him when he clearly wasn't healthy and then spending the offseason to date throwing him under the bus. A Baker Mayfield coming off an injury-shortened season without an organizational lashing would've gotten at least something back.

I don't agree.

Part of the reason they kept playing him was to help confirm their evaluation. He had every chance to help the Browns win games. With even league average QB play, they would have made the playoffs.

Baker also wanted to play. He would have thrown a fit if the Browns tried to sit him earlier in the season.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Of course pro athletes want to play, but it's up to management to make decisions in the best interest of their player health coupled with their chances on the field. Once it became obvious that his level of play had not returned and he was dealing with lingering issues, they should've shut him down for the season (or at least until he showed marked physical improvement). Instead, they kept putting an injured guy out there and were shocked that he was substandard. They added insult to injury by trashing him publicly and more or less turned him into the persona of a locker room cancer, rightly or wrongly.

Maybe benching Mayfield would've lead to a standoff all the same, I don't know. But at least some semblance of trade value would've remained. Instead, he's a diva that causes issues in the locker room and has very pisspoor play to show for it in everyone's recent memory. That's not good for anybody, especially not the Browns.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Of course pro athletes want to play, but it's up to management to make decisions in the best interest of their player health coupled with their chances on the field. Once it became obvious that his level of play had not returned and he was dealing with lingering issues, they should've shut him down for the season (or at least until he showed marked physical improvement). Instead, they kept putting an injured guy out there and were shocked that he was substandard. They added insult to injury by trashing him publicly and more or less turned him into the persona of a locker room cancer, rightly or wrongly.

Maybe benching Mayfield would've lead to a standoff all the same, I don't know. But at least some semblance of trade value would've remained. Instead, he's a diva that causes issues in the locker room and has very pisspoor play to show for it in everyone's recent memory. That's not good for anybody, especially not the Browns.

Quite possibly if Baker sat and Cleveland sucked in those games, Baker might have had the proof they "needed" him. Worked out for Dak, although the situation is not entirely the same; Dak was trying to prove it too but he couldn't play through his injury while Baker could.

 

[Troy McClure]

Of course pro athletes want to play, but it's up to management to make decisions in the best interest of their player health coupled with their chances on the field. Once it became obvious that his level of play had not returned and he was dealing with lingering issues, they should've shut him down for the season (or at least until he showed marked physical improvement). Instead, they kept putting an injured guy out there and were shocked that he was substandard. They added insult to injury by trashing him publicly and more or less turned him into the persona of a locker room cancer, rightly or wrongly.

Maybe benching Mayfield would've lead to a standoff all the same, I don't know. But at least some semblance of trade value would've remained. Instead, he's a diva that causes issues in the locker room and has very pisspoor play to show for it in everyone's recent memory. That's not good for anybody, especially not the Browns.

I think the problem is the Browns aren't convinced his injury is why he was playing poorly. Baker's struggles were more about decision and not being able to read defenses.

Sitting him earlier in the season might have helped preserve trade value, but they were still wanting to make the playoffs. They also didn't approach games last season thinking about trading Baker. No one knew we'd see Wilson, Ryan, and Watson hit the trade market.

 

[Melrose Munch]

lol

 

[GKJ]

I think the problem is the Browns aren't convinced his injury is why he was playing poorly. Baker's struggles were more about decision and not being able to read defenses.

Sitting him earlier in the season might have helped preserve trade value, but they were still wanting to make the playoffs. They also didn't approach games last season thinking about trading Baker. No one knew we'd see Wilson, Ryan, and Watson hit the trade market.

Wilson’s name was out there last year, that’s one they should’ve known to be in on, especially given Seattle was willing to take a quarterback back. Not the same contract but Mayfield is still way better than Drew Lock.

 

[Troy McClure]

Wilson’s name was out there last year, that’s one they should’ve known to be in on, especially given Seattle was willing to take a quarterback back. Not the same contract but Mayfield is still way better than Drew Lock.

But Wilson had a no trade and apparently didn't have Cleveland on his list of teams he'd consider.

 

[Unholy Diver]

But Wilson had a no trade and apparently didn't have Cleveland on his list of teams he'd consider.

Yeah, there was no way Ciara was going to Cleveland

 

[GKJ]

But Wilson had a no trade and apparently didn't have Cleveland on his list of teams he'd consider.

So did Watson until they handed him a blank check

 

[Troy McClure]

So did Watson until they handed him a blank check

Was that an option with Wilson? The Texans let Watson go on a roadshow where he met with multiple teams, which created this environment where the Browns came in with the blank check contract at the end. Wilson pretty much said "Send me to Denver" without talking to any teams.

 

[GKJ]

Was that an option with Wilson? The Texans let Watson go on a roadshow where he met with multiple teams, which created this environment where the Browns came in with the blank check contract at the end. Wilson pretty much said "Send me to Denver" without talking to any teams.

He was entertaining other teams as well, reportedly going back to last season. I don’t know that it could’ve happened, but they probably tried, and that’s when they needed to have a plan to move Mayfield.

 

[Elvis P]

I realize QBs only need their teammates respect to be successful. He's probably the least liked QB by his teammates since Peyton Manning.

 

[Troy McClure]

He was entertaining other teams as well, reportedly going back to last season. I don’t know that it could’ve happened, but they probably tried, and that’s when they needed to have a plan to move Mayfield.

Sure, but what spurred the Browns to come up with the blank check contract was having lost out on Wilson and appearing to lose out on Watson. The desperation made them come up with the blank check contract idea. They didn't go into the offseason thinking about it as a tool.

And who knows if Seattle would have taken Mayfield back. They took Lock, but Lock is also paid next to nothing.

 

[GKJ]

Sure, but what spurred the Browns to come up with the blank check contract was having lost out on Wilson and appearing to lose out on Watson. The desperation made them come up with the blank check contract idea. They didn't go into the offseason thinking about it as a tool.

And who knows if Seattle would have taken Mayfield back. They took Lock, but Lock is also paid next to nothing.

Unless they're definitely drafting a QB in round 1, there isn't really a reason not to. Whoever ends up with Mayfield really only stands to gain.

 

[StreetHawk]

Unless they're definitely drafting a QB in round 1, there isn't really a reason not to. Whoever ends up with Mayfield really only stands to gain.

Seattle just signed Smith to a 1 year deal for $7 million. Gives them Lock, Smith, Eason at QB for the upcoming year. Figure that they decide to use their pick either on a CB (Gardner, and OL, or a DE in round 1). If Corral is on the board in round 2 for them, I think they may select him there or trade back into round 1 to secure the 5th year option if Corral is there.

Baker is either going to have to sit and wait it out or the Browns finally bite the bullet and cut him. Probably won't do that until they have to (like him being a distraction at camp or something). Since, they are on the hook for his $19 million cap hit regardless.

 

[GKJ]

Seattle just signed Smith to a 1 year deal for $7 million. Gives them Lock, Smith, Eason at QB for the upcoming year. Figure that they decide to use their pick either on a CB (Gardner, and OL, or a DE in round 1). If Corral is on the board in round 2 for them, I think they may select him there or trade back into round 1 to secure the 5th year option if Corral is there.

Baker is either going to have to sit and wait it out or the Browns finally bite the bullet and cut him. Probably won't do that until they have to (like him being a distraction at camp or something). Since, they are on the hook for his $19 million cap hit regardless.

Eason is a zero-sum element to that. He is a non-factor. If they like a QB at 9, that's what they're going to do. Nobody they have in the QB room will stop that.

 

[StreetHawk]

Eason is a zero-sum element to that. He is a non-factor. If they like a QB at 9, that's what they're going to do. Nobody they have in the QB room will stop that.

I think Eason's down the depth chart. They now have Lock and Smith, so I don't get the sense that they are considering a QB at 9. No one screams top pick to me this year.

I can get them trading back into round 1 for a QB if someone falls into the 20's. Like move both seconds to get back a 1st and like a 4th or something.

Think it's better to build the team up first so that when you get your QB on a rookie deal, you can hit the ground running, rather than burn the rookie deal while the roster is poor, like the Bears with Fields.