With Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral and Malik Willis all finding NFL homes on day three of the NFL draft, that meant one thing for Oklahoma fans: we still have no idea where Baker Mayfield is going to play football next season.
One team suspiciously didn’t take a QB when they had multiple chances to do so: the Seattle Seahawks.
The fit for Mayfield in Seattle is intriguing. Should they acquire him, Mayfield would get to work with a balanced offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron. Combine that with the new pieces in Seattle’s offense like Charles Cross and Kenneth Walker, and Mayfield would have ample support on a Seahawks offense that already included D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
The Carolina Panthers were apparently deep in trade talks with the Browns to trade for Baker during the draft, but the talks fell apart and the Panthers took Ole Miss’ Matt Corral in the third round on Friday night.
The Browns and Panthers have made progress in negotiations for a trade involving QB Baker Mayfield, according to a source. But the Panthers aren't the only team involved in discussions. The Browns have been prepared to pay a portion of Mayfield's salary to facilitate a trade.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) April 30, 2022
Interesting, a Jeff Lebby QB getting drafted to the NFL. I wonder if Sooners fans will see that again at some point.
The Atlanta Falcons were another rumored landing spot, but they ended up with Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder. Seattle seems to be the last team standing without a plan at QB unless they think Drew Lock is the answer.
And that doesn’t seem likely.
Cleveland’s plan here is to get the most value out of a trade, but now they’re left with Mayfield and less leverage than they had before the draft. Cap space isn’t an issue right now for the Browns, but having Mayfield situation lingering over a locker room isn’t ideal.
According to Tom Pelissero, a big issue is the $18 million Mayfield is owed for this season.
The Browns have a lot of cap space, and so did the Panthers, but the Seahawks don’t. The Browns think they have leverage, but they are losing more and more by the day. And by the day, it’s even more clear that Cleveland has botched this situation.
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