Baker Mayfield will not play quarterback for the Browns in any capacity in 2022, he all but confirmed on Tuesday.
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, said he doesn't envision returning to Cleveland this season, even if the team's new starting signal-caller Deshaun Watson is unavailable to play. He said as much in an interview at a youth football camp in Norman, Okla.
"I think for that to happen there would have to be some reaching out (by Cleveland)," Mayfield said. "We're ready to move on, I think on both sides."
Baker Mayfield answered the question everyone wants to know: If DeShaun Watson is suspended, could he return to Cleveland in 2022? Here's his answer from his youth camp Tuesday in Norman. (via @CareyAMurdock, @Eddie_Rado) pic.twitter.com/ASNY5b8kdO
— SoonerScoop.com (@SoonerScoop) June 28, 2022
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Mayfield's interview is interesting in that he suggests there has been little or no communication between himself and the Browns. That's significant, considering Cleveland could be without Watson for the entire 2022 season as the NFL mulls an indefinite suspension for the newly acquired signal-caller.
Watson last week settled 20 of the active 24 civil suits filed by massage therapists against him. Each suit alleged sexual misconduct and unwanted touching by the NFL quarterback.
It appears Cleveland is dug in on its new QB, for whom it traded first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024; a third-round pick in 2022; and a fourth-round pick in 2024. Following the trade, the Browns extended Watson's contract for five years and $230 million, fully guaranteed. Cleveland also structured Watson's contract to pay a base salary of $1 million in 2022, suggesting the team and Watson's advisors anticipated a potentially lengthy suspension this year.
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The only remaining question yet to be answered regarding the Browns quarterback saga is where Mayfield ends up. The team has had difficulty trading him, as most teams seem unwilling to pay his $18.5 million salary in 2022. There was a rumored trade to the Panthers in return for Sam Darnold, as well as "high-level interest" from the Seahawks, whose presumed starter is Drew Lock.
Regardless, Mayfield's next stop clearly isn't Cleveland — even if the Browns have need of him.
