DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Baker Mayfield 3.0

I believe that was the team's decision.... If Baker took the decision by himself it's a different set of circumstance. But yes, the team might tell him to stay away given how this all played out. idk. Hopefully there is a trade patterner before the start of the season.

No, thats not true.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...-million-if-he-sits-out-the-2021-season/

I think the difference in these 2 scenarios is that the Texans were responsible for him not playing. If Baker "holds out" it would be his call and pretty sure he wouldn't get paid.

That is, unless I don't understand the situations.

A friend on FB was ragging on the Browns about Baker. Posting memes about us getting DW. So I had to point out he was just happy because Cinci wouldn't have to face him again, because HE always beat them. He shut right up. Horrible QB.

The team needs Baker’s cap space now. Waiting it out isn’t really an option. He’ll end up on the Seahawks at some point in the next couple weeks.

Speaking for myself, this whole drama from the end of the season through the off-season was very eye-opening, in this regard. I thought the mental midget narrative was complete hogwash, but now I'm remembering back to all the little red flags in his time here. I'll take the 'L' on this one.


I always thought (and still do), that his weaknesses were more inconsistencies. For all the bad tape of him showing off perceived weaknesses, there's good tape showing him do exactly what he allegedly couldn't. His attitude towards 'broom sweeper' coaches is, consequently, a bad look (a QB with bad mechanics bad-mouthing the types of coaches that help TB12 with this stuff is an odd move, to say the least). I do think he still has the potential to be 'the guy', but the FO supposedly told him they'd go after an elite QB if it was there, and he couldn't handle it (going back to your earlier point).


"The silence is deafening". I haven't heard/seen anything more than a peep from his (still) current teammates. That's weird, right?

(regarding the OBJ situation)
While I'm looking back on past stuff, I'm sticking with my opinion on the OBJ situation. OBJ never wanted to be hear from the jump, and OBJ being a turd sorta stands on its own. Yeah, his stats would've been better if he played with a better QB, but they also would've been better if he didn't have easy 3rd downs clanking off his hands/chest and making business decisions on 4th quarter drives.


It's good to see you post again. Hope you're good.

I'm not sure how you made the "Report or be fined" quote attached to me..but...I'll add to what EO alluded to and post that coming off a surgery injury Baker could be the jerk that so many think he is (while not knowing him from Adam) and simply claim that he's like OBJ post-surgery and say he's not ready "yet"...then play that hand through the first (3) games of the year ala the "teammate" OBJ.

Or...can't he simply holdout and show up before week (8) - or whenever the deadline is for such a thing - and still get his full year's pay? (Or is that not a thing on a rookie contract?)

The only thing worse than the Baker relationship is how the divorce proceedings are rolling.

It works that way if he doesn't report and we want him to report. We can pay him and lock him out.

Glad to see you around Vers. Believe me when I tell you I have been tempted to start a "baker the person thread" because it turns out you were pretty much right.

Hope you stick your head in the door more often.

Since I just said he refuses to do this. Comments says this is a new thing.

Lol

HE’S NOT GETTING CUT

NOT YET ..... But ......

If there winds up being zero trade market for him, the Browns and Baker's agent may come to an agreement on a reduced guarantee, that would alow the Browns to cut him with a reduced cap hit.

This is getting more and more likely, the more time that passes. IMHO, of course.

If he agrees to a more cap-friendly restructure... he's still not getting traded. Someone will pick him up with a friendlier contract.

Carson Wentz got the Colts a third and likely a second. You're not going to convince me Baker has no value.

So if you were Baker, would you drop 10.5 mil guaranteed from your 18.5 mil bird in the hand for a possible trade to whoever? I wouldn't.

I don't see him agreeing to a team friendly deal just so the Browns, a team he feels did him wrong, can benefit. I think that he will only agree to a team friendly restructure if he gets his unconditional release in return, and so he can pick his new team.

So you returned to take a victory lap. Color me shocked.

j/c

IF Baker ends up sitting at home it will be because the team told him not to show up, not Baker. Can you imagine the media crap show with both Baker and watson on the sideline? Can you imagine the fans reaction to that? It's the Browns who have painted themselves into the corner here, not Baker. It would be so Browns like for this team to try and force them to both be on the sideline and create a bigger crap storm than they already have. And for those who think the Browns "can afford" to pay Baker 18 mil. without playing him? You obviously haven't thought about how much cap space they will need to fix this defense. The rest of the league understands that and is using that to make the Browns pay for their bungling of this situation. The Browns will probably end up eating a portion of Baker's contract just to move him.

Keeping him is a lose/lose proposition for them.

After a few days living with what has transpired, DW being a Brown is growing on me. I’ll wait to see the legal stuff play out, but even though I was hoping Baker would play out, he’s been too up-and-down. Wish him luck moving forward, but wherever he ends up, he will be an enemy.

DW has been very consistent, and consistently well above average. Not gonna buy anything with his name on it, but if he delivers us a Lombardi or two, I can live with the lawsuits.

Actually, if the Browns agreed to let him negotiate with other teams so a trade is possible, wouldn't that put some immediate control back to Baker? Right now, if he refuses to report he doesn't get paid. IF he offers to report, but the Browns send him home he gets paid but maybe gathers a little rust. If he reports and the Browns keep him on the roster he is at least an active player, but not playing he can't help his playing ability reputation so the most recent tape on him is quite weak.

For argument sake, let's say Seattle is interested, but not for $18 million guaranteed. If the Browns allow him to negotiate a more financially attractive extension and they go for it he is in line to compete for a starting job. If he does not play this year and becomes a FA, what if Drew Lock looks good and other QB weak teams draft or acquire other QBs. His market at the end of this season could actually get worse.

Just looking at it from a different perspective.

The front office just pays him to stay home and NOT be a CONSTANT distraction in the media. Don't let him near Berea for ANYTHING. Maybe the Cleveland sports media can actually focus on the football team and not drama for once. What a bunch of hacks. SMH

Can you imagine both of them being in camp pushing each other to see who is the better guy? And while pushing each other, Watson gets hurts and is out for a substantial period of time? That would be AWESOME! I would love to see the look on Haslam's face. And I would be laughing my *** off as Jimmy's money just keeps funneling to Watson's account for doing NOTHING. Man, that would make my day.

Are you really a Browns fan? You don't sound like it. You appear to want to be right more than your team win, unless the DW/BM issue has you giving them up. Then why bother to post on a Browns board?

When you just signed a QB for 230 mil. there is no competition. The only ramification would be internal strife and a media circus. There's nothing to be gained there. You have a new QB trying to learn a new system. Complicating that process would be foolish imo. The signing of Brissett pretty much put all their cards on the table. So you also have your new backup learning a new system. The distraction that would be created by Baker being there would be a huge negative.

I've never advocated for a player to be injured. Not even a player of an opposing team. I'm certainly not going to start now.

If I were Baker that would be the route I would quietly be going. Not participating now will hurt him greatly.

I think you are missing out on the chance to look better than the 230M QB, teams would take more notice then than if you stayed at home.

I highly doubt, IF Baker went to camp/practice, that there would be ANY way he'd be allowed to look better than DW.

Can the Browns actually not allow him into camp if they're paying him to play? There must be some union rules regarding that.

Browns not seeking a first-rounder for Baker Mayfield; his trade request didn’t drive Deshaun Watson deal: Browns Insider
Updated: Mar. 23, 2022, 6:14 p.m. | Published: Mar. 23, 2022, 12:31 p.m.


By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns aren’t seeking a first-round pick for Baker Mayfield, but are actively trying to trade him as soon as possible, league sources say.

The market for Mayfield dwindled this week when his first choice, the Colts, traded with Atlanta for four-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan.

Shortly thereafter, the Saints re-signed Jameis Winston and the Falcons signed free agent Marcus Mariota, the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2015 draft, respectively.

The Colts had a conversation with the Browns about Mayfield, but didn’t engage heavily in trade talks and focused on their pursuit of Ryan, 36, instead.

The Panthers are not believed to be interested, at least not at Mayfield’s current price, and might draft a top college prospect with their No. 6 overall pick. They’ve done their work on Liberty’s Malik Willis, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and others.

The Seahawks have inquired about Mayfield, and could get more intrigued at the right price, sources said. But they’re also excited about Drew Lock, whom they acquired in the blockbuster trade with the Broncos for Russell Wilson.

But with very few options for Mayfield right now, the Browns aren’t seeking a first-round pick to make up for one of the three they shipped to the Texans in exchange for Deshaun Watson. At this point, it’s unrealistic to expect they’ll land a selection that high. They’d take less, but they also know it might be difficult for a team to take on Mayfield’s $18.86 million guaranteed salary unless he’s absolutely their starter.

Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t slammed the door shut on a return to the Browns

The Browns have no plans to pay some of Mayfield’s salary

Unlike what the Panthers did last season with Teddy Bridgewater, the Browns have no plans to pay some of Mayfield’s salary to facilitate a trade.

The Panthers footed $7 million of the Bridgewater bill when they traded him to the Broncos last year, along with the $10 million guaranteed they already owed him. The Broncos, on the other hand, paid him only $3 million.

If Mayfield’s camp can find a suitable trade partner for the Browns, they’ll need to craft the contract in such a way that the Browns don’t have to pay any of the freight. That could be accomplished by converting some or all of the salary into a signing bonus and spreading it out over a couple of years.

When the Browns informed Mayfield’s camp at the NFL Combine that they’d heavily pursue only an elite quarterback such as a Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, they agreed to try to trade Mayfield to a team of his choosing. He didn’t list the Texans, Panthers, Lions and others among his preferred landing spots, but he might not have much choice at this point.

The Lions of course, have former Browns GM John Dorsey on their staff as a senior personnel executive, and every player in the NFL should have someone who thinks as highly of them as Dorsey does of Mayfield, whom he drafted No. 1 overall in 2018.

It’s unknown if the Lions, who have Jared Goff as their starter, would be interested in Mayfield, but it might not be the worst landing spot for him if they are.

The Browns don’t want to keep Mayfield from leaving until a QB gets hurt

With the Mayfield divorce getting messy in the final days, including his request to be traded and the Browns’ subsequent denial, the club doesn’t want to keep him on the roster until a starting quarterback gets seriously hurt and needs a new starter.

It could ultimately turn out that way, but the Browns are hoping to trade him sooner than later and close the book on the Mayfield era. It’s best for him and it’s best for Mayfield for the two sides to move forward as soon as possible and get on with it.

One possible sticking point is that Mayfield is recovering from surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left non-throwing shoulder and can’t necessarily take a physical right now.

Even though a guaranteed starting job might be best for Mayfield if someone goes down, the Browns would like to give him a chance for a fresh start now, if possible. If he does stick around for awhile, he won’t be here participating in the offseason program or minicamp.

The Browns’ top brass will be attending the NFL’s Annual League Meeting Sunday through Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida, and will likely try to make a deal there if it doesn’t happen beforehand.

Mayfield’s trade request didn’t drive the Deshaun Watson deal

Although it seemed like Mayfield’s trade request and his intent not to play for them in 2022 drove them back to Watson with full force, that wasn’t the case, league sources said.

The Browns had stayed in contact with Watson’s camp, and were never completely out of it even after Watson called them on Thursday and told them they were eliminated. Watson, who really liked the Browns’ presentation, had second thoughts about ruling out the Browns, and it was actually his camp that revived the deal in the end.

The Browns were as blown away as anyone else when Watson reversed field and chose the Browns over the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers.

Of course, the five-year, NFL record $230 million fully guaranteed contract spoke volumes and helped ease Watson’s concerns about becoming a northerner and playing in inclement weather.

When Watson told the Browns they were out of it, they told Mayfield again he was their man for 2022. If he hadn’t asked to be traded, they would have had to deliver the bad news.

Where did the extra fourth-round draft pick come from?

When the trade terms for the Watson trade hit the transaction wire on Tuesday, it included six picks from the Browns instead of five — an extra 2022 fourth-round pick that seemingly got added at the last minute — and a sixth-round pick in 2024 coming back from the Texans instead of a fifth.

But the Browns didn’t sweeten the deal at the last minute, sources said. The trade compensation included that extra fourth-rounder when the trade was agreed upon Friday, but things happened so fast, it was initially reported incorrectly in the media and in the Browns’ official press release about the trade.

Originally, the trade terms were reported as: Browns surrender three first round picks — in 2022, 2023, and 2024 — plus a third-rounder in 2023 and a fourth-rounder in 2024 in exchange for Watson and a fifth-rounder in 2024.

The actual trade terms are: Browns surrender the three first round picks, a third-rounder in 2023 and fourth-rounders in 2022 and 2024. They get back Watson and a sixth-rounder in 2024.

The new terms leave the Browns four picks in the first four rounds instead of five: one in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth.



https://www.cleveland.com/browns/20...-deshaun-watson-deal-browns-insider.html

At this point, nothing points to a trade in the near future. The physical is a big hinderance. Due to the nature of the injury in the non-throwing shoulder and the almost always positive nature of healing 100%, a team may opt to not consider the shoulder in the physical process but would be foolish to not use that as a driving point to discount the buying price significantly.

From what I read on Yahoo sports:

8) Wasn’t Watson already suspended last year by the Texans?

No. A suspension is a separation from employment where the player is not paid his base salary. Watson was paid his base salary last year. Under the CBA, fines and suspension also result from a detailed process explained in Article 46 of the CBA. That process did not occur.Paid to sit

Not sure how your name was associated with it either. You were not anywhere in the post I quoted by FL DAWG. Wasn't intentional.

Just wondering about something...

What if the Browns decide not to trade Mayfield.. Just let him sit out until a QB somewhere gets hurt... Another team might be more wiling to give up more if they have a situation like that.

Mayfield would sit out and we wouldn't need to pay him.. But he can't go anywhere either.

Mayfield would be trapped and he won't like that with his personality..

Just wondering...

II have wondered the same thing. My biggest question about this is will we have enough cap space to carry his salary and still get some FAs to fill holes.

Pretty much unless he retires or is traded, the Browns are going to be paying him.

IIRC, the optimistic predictions of Mayfield's rehab had him in camp. If he's still a Brown, he'll be kept home to continue rehab (is what my crystal ball says).

I suppose we could do that, but Baker isn't going to sit out. That would be stupid to walk away from 19mil. It would also bound him to us another year if he was to "retire" then unretire.

If he stays around, the Browns will pay him and lock him out of team activities. Be it a few days or the entire year of his contract.