On the heels of acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, the Cleveland Browns will now grant Baker Mayfield his trade request.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns will “now trade” Mayfield, who currently has one more season remaining on his contract with the team.
Deshaun Watson will be the new QB of the Cleveland Browns. A real thing. The #Browns will now trade Baker Mayfield.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2022
Mayfield’s relationship with the Browns soured after it was reported over the week that they joined the likes of the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in the pursuit of Watson. The fourth-year passer noted on Twitter on Tuesday that he had “no clue” on what would come next in regard to his future in Cleveland.
Two days later, Mayfield noted to ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he requested a trade from the Browns, as he believes that the relationship with the team is “too far gone to mend.”
At the time, the Browns aimed to keep Mayfield after they were initially notified that Watson ruled them out as his next destination in the NFL. However, now with Watson electing to snub the Falcons and Saints to move to the Browns, team general manager Andrew Berry will now be on the lookout for any suitors interested in acquiring Mayfield.
Overall, Mayfield provided stability to the Browns during his run as their starting quarterback. In the 2019 season, he became the first quarterback to start in all regular season games for Cleveland since Tim Couch did so in the 2001 campaign.
Mayfield is set to leave the Browns after four notable seasons, where he recorded 92 passing touchdowns and led the team to an AFC wild-card road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 season. Although he underwent shoulder surgery in January, he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022 campaign after he was provided with a four-to-six-month recovery timeline.