National Football League

Baker Mayfield, Browns remain at a standstill

Published May. 9, 2022 7:52 p.m. ET

It's been 125 days since Baker Mayfield last started a game at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

And based on the team's offseason moves, that number will continue to increase.

Mayfield's time in Cleveland is essentially over. However, though the Browns has already moved forward from him in spirit, his name remains on the squad's roster.

Why?

For one, the pool of potential suitors for Mayfield is increasingly diminishing. Teams have been dissuaded from pursuing him due to several factors, including his hefty salary, his sometimes questionable reputation in the locker room and with the media, as well as the Browns' jampacked QB room, which now includes Deshaun Watson and Jacoby Brissett.

Cleveland heaped $230 million in guaranteed money on Watson upon signing him, which in turn has dwarfed the amount of dividends opposing squads are willing to disperse in exchange for Mayfield, who's been demoted to the third-string slot on the team's roster.

And according to CBS Sports' Josina Anderson, the Browns could have their own reasons for keeping him around.

"We don't know what's happening with Deshaun Watson relative to his status for the upcoming season because of the situation with his civil litigation," Anderson told Joy Taylor Monday on "The Herd."

"The commissioner reminded us that you do not have to be charged to be suspended, just like Ben Roethlisberger or Ezekiel Elliott. We don't know how many games Watson is going to be available for. It's easy to sit back now and say, ‘We don’t need to do something because we're not close to games,' but once we start getting into the preseason and regular season, and fans start hollering about you being 1-3, your feelings might change. Even worse, something could happen to your starter or backup."

Baker Mayfield & Cleveland Browns still stuck in an impasse

Josina Anderson's sources have been talking about the situation between Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns, and she joins Joy Taylor on The Herd to share her insight.

Taylor criticized the Browns for their order of operations in handling the Mayfield situation overall.

"They should've traded Baker before they ever brought in Deshaun Watson. The moment you brought in Deshaun Watson and paid him $230 million guaranteed, it's more than writing on the wall that you've given up on Mayfield. You've given up all of your leverage.

"The league knows who Baker Mayfield is. If somebody wants to get him, you're not going to get a high asking price. Everyone knows you're not going to keep Mayfield. Why would you give them a crumb? It's like they're bad magicians by showing their hands."

Taylor compared Mayfield to another high-profile QB on the market, and highlighted why his market value was significantly higher than Mayfield's.

"You also have Jimmy Garoppolo on the market. They're both injury-prone players who came off surgery. One is a huge pain to deal with, bad with the media, and has one playoff win. The other is the opposite of that. Garoppolo is going to get traded for a first. Garoppolo's a better option if you're desperate for a quarterback."

The QB market certainly looks different following Watson's mega-deal.

But one mega-puzzle in Cleveland has yet to be solved, and that's the market that exists for its former starter.