When it comes to trades for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo, the Carolina Panthers don’t seem to be budging. But, as training camp inches ever closer, the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers just might be.
The needle on the former of the two sagas moved a bit on Tuesday, as Mayfield himself stated the obvious during an appearance at a youth football camp in Norman, Okla.. When asked if there was a chance that he could ever suit up for the Browns again, the former No. 1 overall pick seemed rather cold—as he should—on the idea.
“I think it’s been, uh, pretty obvious the mutual decision on both sides is to move on,” he said to Carey Murdock of SoonerScoop.com.
Cleveland, of course, went all out for Deshaun Watson this offseason—shipping away a king’s ransom to the Houston Texans for the three-time Pro Bowler. They then proceeded to throw a five-year, $230 million contract (all guaranteed) at Watson, who is still facing civil litigation on numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.
So if that didn’t tell us the Browns were done with Baker, then he just did so today. Heck, he doesn’t even want to stick around if Watson is ultimately suspended for the entirety of the upcoming 2022 campaign.
“No, I think for that to happen there would have to be some reaching out,” he then said about that scenario. “But we’re ready to move on, I think, on both sides.”
Although, again, Mayfield was merely acknowledging what we’ve already surmised, this could be another small step in a potential swap to Carolina. Thoughts are being said out loud and the Panthers are reaping all the benefits.
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