Baker Mayfield may prefer to be traded to the Seattle Seahawks, but the Cleveland Browns seem to be in no rush to deal their former No. 1 overall pick to the rebuilding NFC West team.
While Baker Mayfield seems to be comfortable with the idea of him being traded to the Seattle Seahawks, the Cleveland Browns are not in any hurry to deal their former No. 1 overall pick.
With the 2022 NFL Draft two weekends out, it may take a while before Mayfield finds his new team. His relationship with the Browns organization is supposedly so far beyond repair after Cleveland traded for Deshaun Watson. Mayfield played his first four NFL seasons out of Oklahoma in Cleveland. Playing on his fifth-year option, he is running out of time to remain an NFL starter.
Even if the fit in Seattle makes sense, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports the “Browns [are] not pressed to rush and the Seahawks [are] not chasing under current pretenses.”
Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield trade discussions are at a standstill
Mayfield is not alone in being a starting-level quarterback with depreciating trade value on his current team. Jimmy Garoppolo is on the San Francisco 49ers with all eyes on Trey Lance being their quarterback of the future. While Garoppolo has had the better pro career, his trade value has plummeted because of an injury he suffered in the NFC playoffs. As for Mayfield, he has to wait.
Once the top five quarterback prospects (Matt Corral, Sam Howell, Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis) all find their new teams, the next wave of quarterbacking transactions will occur. Expect for guys like Mayfield and Garoppolo to be moved, but probably not until well after the draft. Seattle makes a ton of sense for Mayfield, but if not the Seahawks, where could he go?
Mayfield would probably be heading to the NFC to compete for a starting job on teams without much of a future at the quarterback position. If teams like the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers or the New Orleans Saints do not draft a quarterback this spring, Mayfield might go to one of those NFC South teams to take on a fringe-starter/backup role before hitting free agency.
Mayfield to Seattle to challenge Drew Lock is the most logical scenario, but these things take time.