MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Well we'll see. I don't know if you're predicting it or just playing devils advocate but he won't be there on a 1 year, 24M deal.

 

Baker Mayfield’s camp has reportedly had preliminary discussions with the Seahawks and the Panthers, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported on Tuesday.

Though a departure from the Browns is imminent, there is no timetable set for a trade involving the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner, per Howe. Mayfield initially said he wanted to be traded to the Colts. However, Indianapolis acquired Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan for a third round pick, making the option unviable for Mayfield.

Mayfield is left in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade involving the Browns and Texans that brought quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland on March 18. Since the trade, the Browns have allowed the former Oklahoma standout to search for a trade partner.

The Watson acquisition followed days of drama involving Mayfield and the Browns. During their pursuit of Watson, Mayfield posted a letter to social media on March 15 thanking Cleveland and their fans on the same day the franchise met with the former Texans’ quarterback. The next day, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said the Browns were looking for “an adult” to fill the quarterback role, signaling that a breakup was imminent.

A day before the Watson trade, Cleveland was told they were out of the running for the former Texans quarterback. Mayfield then requested a trade from the Browns, a request Cleveland was not willing to accommodate. Following the Watson deal, it was reported that Mayfield had “no intention” on playing with the Browns in the 2022 season, even looking to sit out of minicamp and training camp until he was traded.

With their divorce seemingly finalized, The MMQB‘s Albert Breer reported that the Browns are seeking a first round pick in exchange for Mayfield. The Browns quarterback is on a team-friendly fifth-year option and is set to earn $18.8 million entering 2022.

Mayfield has been with the Browns since he was drafted No. 1 in the 2018 draft. In 2020, the former Oklahoma walk-on led Cleveland to an 11–5 season, ending an 18-year playoff drought and taking the once-ailing franchise to the divisional playoff round.

Mayfield endured a torn labrum in his non-throwing left shoulder in Week 2 of the 2021 season. He also battled through left foot soreness and a right knee contusion throughout the season. Mayfield did not play in the last game of the season and underwent shoulder injury in the off-season.

Mayfield threw for 3,010 yards on 253 passes, tallying 17 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season.

SI

 

The Panthers beat writer for the Atlantic addressed that story today and said he asked the Panthers and they said it was false. I agree with whomever said they aren't going to put two QBs playing on a 5th round option on the same team. It's like splitting 4s in blackjack.

 

All I am saying is they won't cut him over it. He is a proven QB that has a lot of value. Trade, most likely, but I certainly don't believe for a minute they would simply cut him. No trade partner, Jimmy remains a 49er.

 

Report: Seahawks Could Be Interested in Baker Mayfield Trade for ‘Right Price’

Baker Mayfield is still searching for a new home after the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson, and it may not be easy for Cleveland to find a suitor.

Indianapolis is no longer interested in trading for Mayfield, and the Saints, Panthers, nor Falcons appear to want Mayfield’s services, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. Though one franchise could be a sensible landing spot.

The Seahawks could be interested in acquiring Mayfield “at the right price,” per Cabot. Cleveland appears to have lowered its asking price for the former No. 1 pick in the last week, with a first-round pick no longer required to receive Mayfield.

It was a difficult 2021 for Mayfield. He battled through a slate of injuries in 14 starts, tallying just 17 touchdowns along with 13 interceptions. The Browns finished 8–9, third in the AFC North.

Seattle will have a new signal-caller for the first time since 2012 next season. Russell Wilson was traded to the Broncos on March 8 after 10 years with the Seahawks.

SI

 

If it's true, and I believe it could be, then this is a real dagger in the trade value for Mayfield.

There doesn't appear to be players from within the organization that had come out in support of Baker before the Watson trade, so having Odell basically say "look, if that MFer is gone, then I would definitely think about coming back" really amps up the character concerns for possible trade partners.

Now, this could simply be Beckham being petty (personal grudge with Mayfield) but, even if it is, that still tints the glasses.

This situation has played out in a manner that has killed Baker's trade value for the Browns and possibly put a full pause on Mayfield's career for the immediate future.

 

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was not indicted on Thursday after a grand jury in Brazoria County, Texas heard a single criminal complaint from a woman who alleged Watson committed sexual misconduct.

“After a careful and thorough review of the facts and evidence documented in the reports prepared by the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department, as well as hearing testimony from witnesses, the Grand Jury for Brazoria County has declined to charge Deshaun Watson with any crimes,” Brazoria County District Attorney Tom Selleck said in a statement, via the Houston Chronicle. “Accordingly, this matter is closed.”



Watson was previously not indicted on nine criminal complaints in Harris County. Once that happened, NFL teams began in earnest to present their trade offers to the Texans and Watson.

“We continue to closely monitor all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy,” the NFL said in a statement.

The Brazoria County grand jury was considering a criminal complaint from a woman who claimed that Watson ejaculated on her during a massage therapy session in November 2020.

The Browns had Watson in for a physical on Thursday and he is expected to have an introductory press conference with the organization on Friday.

PFT

 

Trevor Siemian agrees to a two-year deal with the Bears



A well-traveled quarterback will be continuing his career very close to the city where he played college football.

Trevor Siemian, a former starter at Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, has agreed to terms with the Bears, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. It’s a two-year deal.


A seventh-round pick in 2015 of the Broncos, Siemian won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie in Denver. The following year, he secured the starting job over rookie first-rounder Paxton Lynch, following the retirement of Peyton Manning and the free-agency departure of Brock Osweiler.

Siemian started 14 games in 2016 and another 10 in 2017. He was traded to the Vikings in 2018, where he served as the backup to Kirk Cousins. He spent 2019 with the Jets.

He signed with the Titans in 2020, but Siemian eventually was released and signed to the practice squad. The Saints added him to the active roster late in the 2020 season. He was soon released and added to the New Orleans practice squad.

Last year, Siemian was cut by the Saints in late August but then re-signed to the roster. He replaced Jameis Winston in a Week Eight win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Siemian started four games for the Saints in 2021.

For his career, Siemian has thrown 1,029 passes, completing 606 for 6,843 yards and 41 touchdowns, with 27 interceptions. His career passer rating is 81.2.

In Chicago, he joins a depth chart led by Justin Fields. The Bears also have Nick Foles; as Charean Williams noted when Siemian recently visited Chicago, the addition of Siemian could mean that the Bears will try to trade Foles.

Most recently, Siemian visited the Raiders. That apparently was enough to get Chicago to get things done, bringing Siemian back to Chicago seven years after he left Northwestern.

PFT

 

Identifying the NFL’s options for handling Deshaun Watson

When it comes to player discipline, the NFL has learned to delay taking action as long as possible. For more than a year, for example, the NFL has taken no action against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, because it hasn’t had to.

With a pair of grand juries choosing not to criminally charge Watson and with Watson now a member of the Cleveland Browns, the NFL is moving closer to the point at which some sort of decision will be expected, if not required. Below, the potential options are identified.


First, the NFL can suspend Watson now. That would be similar if not identical to the approach the league utilized against Ben Roethlisberger in 2010. At the time of the suspension, he had a pending rape lawsuit in Nevada, and he had avoided criminal charges in Georgia. In the aftermath of the decision by the prosecutor in Georgia to not charge Roethlisberger, the league imposed a six-game suspension. Later, it was reduced to four.

Second, the NFL can wait until the 22 pending civil lawsuits against Watson are resolved. If Watson ultimately prevails in all 22 cases or if he loses in one or more of them or if he settles one or more of them, the specific outcome would (or at least should) impact the league’s decision. (Indeed, if Watson wins all 22 case, it could be argued that he shouldn’t be disciplined at all.)

Third, the NFL could impose a preliminary suspension, with the possibility of further punishment hinging on the outcome of the cases. This would give the NFL a vehicle for both disciplining Watson based on the currently available information and keeping the league’s options open based on evidence that may be developed later and/or possible jury verdicts against Watson.

Fourth — and this is the possible outcome that Watson and the Browns need to take far more seriously than they currently are — the league could eventually place Watson on the Commissioner exempt list (i.e., paid leave) until the 22 civil cases are resolved, with an unpaid suspension coming thereafter. We’ve heard that this is a possibility. Others have, too. The best way to avoid this outcome would be to settle the cases now.

I made that argument last Friday, after the Browns emerged as the winner of the four-way tug-of-war for Watson. Settle the cases now.

Browns fans deserve it. More specifically, Browns fans don’t deserve to have the cloud that has hovered over Houston to migrate over Cleveland.

The Browns seem to be assuming short-term pain in the name of long-term gain. But that doesn’t mean the short-term pain should hurt more than necessary. If the cases are properly resolved, Watson arrives with a clean slate, and Browns fans don’t have the burden of wondering what will happen if/when the case go to trial. They can also conclude that Watson has had a proper reckoning.

So far, the signals from Watson’s camp point to fighting all of the cases and trying to win them. Once they realize that the league may decide to keep him from playing until the legal fight has ended, Watson’s camp may decide to take a different approach. They should.

PFT

 

Deshaun Watson intends to “continue to clear my name as much as possible”

When pressed regarding details as to the 22 civil lawsuits pending against him, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson cited the ongoing investigation and retreated to pre-planned talking points during his introductory press conference.

I never assaulted, disrespected, or harassed any woman in my life.


He also was asked whether he plans to settle the cases.

“My intent is to continue to clear my name as much as possible,” Watson told reporters.

This implies that he plans to keep aggressively defending himself. And it sets the stage for the NFL to eventually place him on the Commissioner exempt list until the cases are resolved. That would mean, if it happens, that Watson would be placed on paid leave possibly for all of the 2022 season, while the 22 cases continue to move toward trial.

If the 22 cases are tried individually (and they likely will be), that’s 22 separate trials. It would take half of a year, at a minimum, to process all of them, even if they happen back to back to back to back and so on.

That said, the cases could settle at any time. If Watson seems too anxious to settle, however, it becomes more expensive to do so. But if he decides to keep fighting, he needs to realize that he could spend all of a second season on the sidelines, given that the league may not be comfortable allowing someone with so many sexual assault cases pending against him to play football.

PFT

 

Shoulder surgery may force 49ers to cut Jimmy Garoppolo



Earlier today, we looked at what the 49ers will do with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. And here’s the reaction to the item was posted: the 49ers will have a hard time trading Garoppolo.

The problem arises from the full set of circumstances surrounding his situation. The biggest problem, as one league source explained it on Saturday, is the shoulder surgery Garoppolo underwent earlier this month. No one will trade for a quarterback with a $25 million compensation package after he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his throwing shoulder, the source explained.


Throw in the fact that Garoppolo had the surgery without consulting with the 49ers, and it makes every team that otherwise would be interested in Garoppolo very leery.

Unless Garoppolo is willing to do a new contract as part of a trade (and why would he be?), a trade isn’t happened. The most likely result, the source predicted, is that the 49ers will have to cut him.

With none of Garoppolo’s salary becoming guaranteed until the eve of Week One, the 49ers can wait it out. But they won’t get cap relief without cutting him. And because he’s in the last year of his contract, cutting him would leave behind only $1.4 million in dead money — and it would instantly create more than $25 million in cap space.

PFT

 

Mike Tomlin is comfortable with the QBs on roster but not opposed to adding to the room



The Steelers haven’t had quarterback uncertainty since drafting Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th overall choice in 2004. Roethlisberger’s retirement has the team back there for the first time in almost two decades.

“I’m really excited by it. I’m energized by it,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “I love the anxiety associated with uncertainty. I think it brings the best out in me, and I think it’s going to bring the best out in us. At least I’m hopeful that it will.”


The Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year contract, and his 50 career starts has him as the favorite to win the job. Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph remain on the roster, too, and are expected to compete for the job.

The Steelers have not hidden the scouting work they have done on the 2022 draft prospects at the position either.

“I’m comfortable with the talent that we have at the position now, and that’s not saying that I’m not open to add to it as we move forward,” Tomlin said.

The quarterbacks each will get a fair shot at the job with no timetable on naming a starter, Tomlin said.

“We will know when we are there,” Tomlin said.

 

John Lynch doesn’t foresee cutting Jimmy Garoppolo



Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the 49ers roster despite frenzied movement on the quarterback market this offseason and it’s unclear whether they will be able to trade him while he recovers from shoulder surgery.

That’s led to speculation that the 49ers could wind up releasing Garoppolo in a move that would clear more than $25.5 million from the salary cap. General Manager John Lynch said on Monday he doesn’t see the team going down that path.


“I don’t foresee that,” Lynch said, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “He’s too good of a player. I don’t foresee that, and I think Jimmy will be playing for us or he’ll be playing for somebody else. He’s too good of a player not to be.”

Lynch said that there was momentum toward a trade before Garoppolo’s surgery “caused a lot of teams to pause and at least slow down the process.” None of that momentum included a firm offer for Garoppolo, however, and it sounds like the 49ers will be waiting a while to hear one. According to Lynch, the team is willing to keep Garoppolo around until that happens.

PFT

 

Ryan Poles: I want to give Justin Fields everything I can, but you still have to build a team



After drafting quarterback Justin Fields at No. 11 overall last year, the Bears replaced their General Manager and head coach, bringing in Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

Chicago hasn’t made many notable additions during the offseason, though the club did trade edge rusher Khalil Mack to the Chargers. And former receiver Allen Robinson signed with the Rams.


While the club signed receivers Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown, neither has ever been as productive as a player like Robinson.

Still, Poles said on Monday that there’s a balance to building a team while also surrounding a young QB like Fields with the best weapons.

“I want to give him everything I possibly can, but you still have to construct an entire team. You can’t go blank in one area and then just load up in one area,” Poles said at the annual league meeting, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “We’re always going to be aggressive to get him the tools that he needs to be successful, it’s just the timing and the talent level and the cap situation, all of those are going to dictate when we can go and when we can’t go.

“But I think what we’ve done so far is at least establish a little bit of growth in the roster, plus the scheme with the coaching, I see him getting better even from what we did right now.”

Fields displayed some flashes as a rookie, but there’s also clear room for improvement. He completed 59 percent of his passes fort 1,870 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 appearances with 10 starts. He also rushed for 420 yards with a pair of touchdowns in 2021.

PFT

 

Saints sign Andy Dalton



The Saints weren’t done signing quarterbacks when they brought Jameis Winston back.

Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton has agreed to a one-year contract with the Saints, with $3 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $6 million, according to multiple reports.


Winston is still the favorite to be the Saints’ starter this season, but it’s unclear whether the ACL injury that ended his 2021 season after seven games will be fully healed in time for him to play in Week One. So Dalton’s presence gives the Saints a reliable backup who may have to start, at least early in the season.

The 34-year-old Dalton spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Bengals, then spent one year with the Cowboys and one with the Bears. He joins a quarterback room that also includes Ian Book and Blake Bortles behind Winston on the depth chart. Book and Bortles will likely compete for the third-string job with Winston No. 1 if healthy and Dalton No. 2.

PFT

 

Ryan Poles on trading Nick Foles: We’re working on it



The Bears signed Trevor Siemian as a free agent last week and the move to add another quarterback to the roster led many to wonder if Chicago will now try to trade Nick Foles.

General Manager Ryan Poles didn’t play coy when asked about that at the league meetings in Florida this week. Poles confirmed that the team is looking to make a deal involving the veteran quarterback, but that nothing has materialized thus far.


“Nothing has popped up right now, but we’re working on it,” Poles said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Hopefully something pops up.”

Foles didn’t play well in starting runs with the Jaguars and Bears in 2019 and 2020 and would likely have been cut already if not for the $7.6 million-plus in dead money they’d incur by releasing him. That doesn’t inspire much hope about trade interest, but, with a $4 million roster bonus already paid, the Bears have plenty reason to try to see if they can find something in return for him.

PFT

 

Andrew Berry on Baker Mayfield: We don’t feel pressured to rush into anything



The Browns have Deshaun Watson.

The Browns have Jacoby Brissett.


And the Browns have Baker Mayfield.

At least for now, it seems like that’s the way it’s going to stay. And the Browns say they’re OK with that.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that Cleveland would like some closure to its situation with Mayfield at some point. But on Tuesday, General Manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the annual league meeting that the Browns aren’t in a rush to offload the 2018 No. 1 overall pick.

“I wouldn’t say we have a specific timetable for the QB room,” Berry said, via Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com. “Baker is a professional, he’s under contract, and we have the [cap] flexibility whether he’s on the roster or not. So we don’t really feel pressed to rush into anything that’s suboptimal.”

Cleveland is reportedly not looking for a first-round draft pick in exchange for Mayfield — which makes sense, because there’s little to no chance the club would receive one. Berry was asked about the Browns potentially paying some of Mayfield’s $18.8 million guaranteed salary or surrendering a draft pick as part of a deal for the QB. But Berry said he didn’t want to get into that kind of speculation.

“The reality of it is, quarterbacks are valuable,” Berry said. “Baker’s a good player and you can’t have enough good players on your roster. We’ve already planned to make it work and we’ll just see how the next few weeks ago, the next few months go.”

Eventually, the Browns will find a solution with Mayfield. Given all that transpired in the 2021 season and now the 2022 offseason, it doesn’t seem viable for him to remain on the roster with Watson and Brissett. But the Browns aren’t changing their public stance, even as the offseason demand for quarterbacks has come to a halt with the draft a month away.

“I think as we look at the QB room, we have three good players at the most important position in sports,” Berry said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t things that we’re going to work through over the course of the next several months, but I don’t view it as a bad situation at all. We feel like we have three good ones and a lot of teams are looking for one guy, so you don’t mind being deep there and we’ll take it as it goes.”

PFT

 

This is Berry playing cleanup to Stefanski undermining him yesterday saying they would "like to have closure at some point". Could he backtrack enough to say, closure could mean Mayfield is willing to come in as a back up, possible starter in Watson's absence? I don't think that is in the cards, but if he could get one GM to believe it, maybe they could get a trade finalized.

 

The NFL will not use the Commissioner Exempt List for Deshaun Watson. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that because two grand juries chose not to criminally charge Watson that the Browns quarterback is subject only to a suspension under the Personal Conduct Policy.

“The civil cases were in play over the last year,” Goodell said. “The only thing that’s changed is the criminal element has been at least resolved, and that was an important element in the context of the Commissioner Exempt List as discussed with the Players Association. So that was an important (decision as it relates to the Commissioner Exempt List).


“If the criminal had proceeded, that more than likely would have triggered the Commissioner Exempt. I think at this point, the civil case in and of itself would not do that. If there’s a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, that may trigger something, but that more than likely trigger some kind of discipline in some fashion.”

Watson, who was traded from the Texans to the Browns on March 18, still faces 22 civil lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. That is expected to draw a suspension under the Personal Conduct Policy, something Goodell said the league was “clear with every club” about.

Ben Roethlisberger received a six-game suspension from the league in 2010 for a pending rape lawsuit in Nevada after he avoided criminal charges in Georgia. The suspension later was reduced to four games. More recently, Ezekiel Elliott served a six-game suspension in 2017 after waging a legal battle against the NFL as he repeatedly declared his innocence against allegations of domestic abuse. He was never arrested or charged.

“The Personal Conduct Policy is something that is very important to us, so the Personal Conduct Policy does not need a criminal violation to be a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy,” Goodell said. “So they recognize that that’s something we’re going to pursue. We’re going to make sure that we get to the bottom of the facts and make sure how it applies to the Personal Conduct Policy. That’s where we are at this point. When we get to that, a decision will be made whether there should be discipline and if so what is it.”

Goodell said there is no timetable for reaching a decision on Watson, who was on the Texans’ roster last season but did not play as the team made him inactive on game day.

“Our people are working on it,” he said. “Obviously, these are serious charges. We’re looking at this seriously. We now have obviously, at least on the criminal side of it, obviously there are still civil charges that are going on, so our investigators hopefully will have access to more information and that will be helpful obviously at getting to the conclusion of what are the facts and was there a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, but that determination will be made by a joint discipline officer established by the NFLPA and the NFL. She will make that decision when the facts are all in and we’ll see. There’s no timeframe on that.”

PFT

 

New Bears coach Matt Eberflus expects a significant Year 2 leap from dynamic quarterback Justin Fields.

"The development of him for the second year should be a big jump," Eberflus said Tuesday, via NBC Sports Chicago. "It should be. That's what we're looking for."

During his rookie campaign, Fields flashed glimpses of playmaking ability that provide optimism he can be the decades-long answer to the quarterback conundrum in Chicago. But there were also significant struggles.

The previous coaching staff rarely tailored their game plans to fit what Fields did well, and the team lacked sufficient support to allow the rookie to shine.

While the Bears' new brass, led by GM Ryan Poles, have attempted to buffer the quarterback, the upgrades have been minimal. Chicago signed receiver Byron Pringle and center Lucas Patrick. It had an offer sheet to potential starting O-lineman Ryan Bates matched by Buffalo, which was a big blow to planned blocking upgrades.

With little cap space, there haven't been splash moves to upgrade the offense around Fields -- certainly not in the same way Jacksonville was able to overspend to help fellow draft classmate Trevor Lawrence.

Without significant upgrades in talent, the Bears are counting on Fields' improvement in Year 2 to come from personal strides in how he processes the game.


"We're looking for better technique, better fundamentals, better decision-making, better timing, everything," Eberflus said. "He's all on-board on that. He's excited about where he is, and he's been working his tail off. That's what we want, just that big jump from Year 1 to Year 2."

If Fields is able to process reads quicker in 2022 than he did as a rookie, that will immediately improve the Bears' offense and put him on a path to a Year 2 leap.

NFL.com