A lot of chatter here on trade compensation and potential landing spots for Mayfield. Consider this . . . . . What if Berry has no intention of trading Baker in the near future? Unless an offer comes in that the Browns would be foolish to ignore (I don't see that happening), the cap numbers if they trade him Pre and Post June 1 are identical - $18,858,000 cap save either way. Conversely, releasing him Pre and Post June 1 are also identical - $18,858,000 Dead Money either way. However, if they don't trade or release him, he is contractually obligated to show up is he not? If Baker trips over his own hard-on for Cleveland and sits out 2022, that $18,858,000 Dead Money becomes a mute point. That $18,848,000 only becomes an issue if Mayfield actually shows up for work (also something I don't see happening).
I get it brother. My feelings are in a twist of a quagmire of two twists of two quagmires of a twist.. The whole damn thing is a sham of a mockery if ya ask me. (my attempt at levity)
The AFC has never been as loaded with great QB's as they were last season...Enter Wilson, Watson, Ryan.
If Carson Wentz is somehow worth a #1, then Mayfield should be worth a #1 and #2.....Who knows? Looks like some team is going to wind up getting an amazing deal on a really good quarterback.
Didn't Haslam essentially buy a 2nd rd pick just a couple years ago for about $17M? This Baker deal is going to be a similar cost if we are trying to max draft capital.... #jimmysmoney
Heard an interesting thought that several teams who might still be in the market for a QB are not asking or even dealing with the Browns because they're frustrated they gave a supermax, market-busting deal to DW. It's effectively $50 mill a year that resets the QB market and when you're trading for a guy who only has one year guaranteed on his contract and the market just went up 25% for QB contracts, that's not a great position to be in if you're looking to buy a guy.
You know what... I think it's time to roll with @Tim and just shelve Mayfield. Play hard ball, call his agent if he isn't personally answering phone calls and let him know he isn't getting traded. He needs to prepare for the reality that he very well could be playing next to Watson this season and he needs to be a professional about it. This happens all the time, where another QB replaces a veteran. If you don't have the clout to go somewhere else, you man up and compete. They actually might need him for at least 8 games this year. Prove them wrong with that enormous chip on your shoulder. Then when he comes out "looking" professional and looking sharp in practice... the trade partners will emerge. If I'm a GM and witnessing how he is handling this situation, my interest in him would be going down by the day. The Browns are on the hook for the salary, so get his head in the game that he is going to be a Brown and move forward.
Jaded? Me? Sure am! But yeah, the Browns have the third-best roster in the division and the third-best quarterback in the division. Browns' scoring defense has never been better than 13th (2021) since 2018. They don't have the cap space to bring back Jadeveon Clowney yet and the longer it goes on, the more likely he signs somewhere else. The defensive line is a huge questionmark regardless, as is the defensive coordinator on the whole. Offensively, here are the playmakers: WR(Z): Amari Cooper (best season with a Top 10 QB was comparable to Jarvis Landry: 79/1,189/8) WR(Y): Donovan Peoples-Jones (best season thus far: 34/597/3) WR(X): Anthony Schwartz (best season thus far: 10/135/1) or Jakeem Grant (best season: 29/330/1) TE1: David Njoku TE2: Harrison Bryant TE3: **required for Stefanski's offense** <empty> Offensive line? Used to have the best GCG combination in the NFL and still has two elite guards, but Nick Harris will be taking over for J.C. Tretter and on the edges, Jed Wills (who played poorly in 2021) and Chris Hubbard (who didn't play at all in 2021) are slotted to start. Now imagine for a moment that the NFL actually does the right thing and suspends DW - should be indefinite until the civil suits are resolved. Even if it's a paltry 6-8 games, that's the above roster with Jacob Brissett? Sorry... if Nick Chubb was as good as we've insisted, 2021 shouldn't have been such a disaster. Unless they get their 4-5 cupcake teams early, that's a 1-2 win stretch.
An article in The Athletic gives more trade details. According to Watson's agent, there were 13 teams with serious interest. Watson narrowed it down to the top 5. The four teams we know about (NO, ATL, CAR. CLE) and one unnamed AFC South team that the Texans refused to negotiate with. Presumably that was the Colts... Also there was at least one team that was upset when they weren't given a chance to match Cleveland's offer. They were told it was because Deshaun wanted to go to Cleveland and matching offer wouldn't have mattered.. He felt Cle had the best situation, and he felt very comfortable in his meetings with Andrew Berry, and his decision had been made.
They currently set at $26M in available cap.. So if the reported price would be around $15M, they should easily be able to sign him and their rookie class with no first round draft pick. They supposedly offered $12M per year for 2 years.
Last year started rough but that defense got better as the season went on, and wound up ranking inside the top 10. Just saying. With the 44th pick of the draft the Cleveland Browns select: Difference maker: Perrion Winfrey link - Oklahoma's Perrion Winfrey Named MVP of Senior Bowl
Could be spotrac.com is out of date, then. They show $17.8M in cap space, accounting for rookies. That said, watching the deals fall around the league, it sure feels like the cap isn't real.
