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Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield wasn't the biggest fan of the Deshaun Watson-Browns rumors while they were out there. The Browns sought out the Texans inquiring about a potential Deshaun Watson trade before they were informed on Thursday morning that they were out of the running per NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo. This caused Mayfield to request a trade out of Cleveland.
On Good Morning Football, analyst Peter Schrager voiced his opinion on the situation. Schrager said it makes for an awkward position in Cleveland, with Baker knowing that the Browns wanted to move on from him by exploring a potential Watson trade:
"They knew Baker would be in his feelings. They knew Baker would be emotional. That tells me how they feel about Baker as the future of their quarterback if they would even go down this route. Knowing the emotional guy he is. So he wants a trade, demands a trade, you're not demanding anything. To them at this point, it's like, ‘we'll trade you if we want to trade you. You should be so honored if we're going to.’ I feel like this is way down the road with all these guys and yeah, if they don't get someone to upgrade from Baker Mayfield at this point, it makes for a very awkward situation. But I also felt like they’re a little bit annoyed. We had to explore Deshaun Watson. Like, we had to do it and they'll live with that."
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Schrager then added that he thinks Mayfield could have handled the situation better by playing out the year without requesting a trade/taking things to social media.
"I look at Trubisky’s final year in Chicago. He knew when they didn't pick up that fifth-year option that he probably wasn't the guy. But you finish out the string, you do your best, you take your teams to the playoffs. It's like, there's a lot of ways this could have gone, and for Baker? You're still under contract. You get paid to play quarterback. Go out and do your thing. And if you're traded? Maybe you’re the Indianapolis Colts quarterback next year. Maybe the Seattle Seahawks quarterback next year. Great. Don't command trades and write Instagram things. I just look at it and say there's a lot of other ways this can be handled. But like, demanding a trade? Take a second, take a deep breath.”
The Browns could still trade Baker Mayfield even if they don't land Deshaun Watson
It seems like the bridge between the Browns and Baker Mayfield has been burned.
While the Browns are out of the running for Deshaun Watson, they could still explore options in trading Mayfield. There are still teams out there looking for franchise quarterbacks such as the Colts, Seahawks, Panthers, Falcons (if they trade Matt Ryan and don't land Watson).
Mayfield could be on his way out of Cleveland, and it certainly seems like this will be his last year with the Browns if he isn't moved.
