Seahawks Apparent Interest in Browns QB Baker Mayfield Makes Sense - At Right Price
Update: This story was written before the Browns pulled off a stunning blockbuster and traded three first-round picks and additional draft capital to the Texans for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
After a disappointing third place finish in the AFC North and missing the playoffs in 2021, the Browns decided to flirt with Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, hoping to woo the three-time Pro Bowler as the missing piece to pursue a Super Bowl. Surprising many, they were able to earn a spot at the table with teams such as the Saints and Falcons, meeting with the star signal caller on Tuesday.
But unfortunately for general manager Andrew Berry, Cleveland didn't advance any further in what has become an NFL equivalent of The Bachelor and were eliminated from consideration to acquire Watson via trade on Thursday. Like a spouse caught cheating, the organization came running back to incumbent starter Baker Mayfield only to find that the fifth-year signal caller already had a foot out the door and wanted a divorce.
While the Browns reportedly plan to hold Mayfield hostage and don't plan to sign off on the split at the moment, the chronically inept organization once again has created a mess for themselves that they may not be able to fix. With the former No. 1 pick out of Oklahoma already unofficially saying goodbye on social media earlier this week, the bridge appears to be burned beyond repair.
Assuming Cleveland isn't able to kiss and make up with the ex-Oklahoma star, Mayfield looks bound to be taking his football talents to another city and his Progressive commercials to another home stadium before the 2022 season. Not surprisingly, after officially trading Russell Wilson to Denver earlier this week, Seattle may have emerged as an early frontrunner to land him.
Per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the Seahawks already have reached out to the Browns to inquire about Mayfield's availability. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the teams spoke prior to the quarterback's trade request becoming public on Thursday.
Interestingly, back in 2018, reports surfaced suggesting Seattle attempted to trade Wilson to Cleveland for the No. 1 overall pick. That was the same year the Browns wound up selecting Mayfield, choosing him instead of USC's Sam Darnold and Wyoming's Josh Allen, who Seahawks general manager John Schneider flew out to watch perform at his pro day. This reportedly created strife between Wilson's camp and the organization given their apparent interest in another quarterback.
If such a trade would have been made, some have speculated Allen would have been the pick because of that pro day visit. But the front office also held Mayfield in high regard and viewed him as a strong franchise quarterback candidate in his own right.
Four years later, with Wilson now in the Mile High City and the Seahawks only having Drew Lock and Jacob Eason currently under contract at the quarterback position, that prior interest is noteworthy and there are plenty of reasons why Mayfield could be a great fit.
A former walk-on at Texas Tech who eventually won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, Mayfield plays with the chip on his shoulder that the franchise covets. An intense competitor, he carries himself with no shortage of confidence or swagger, sometimes to a fault. Dating back to his time in college, he generally has been regarded as a leader teammates will follow.
Under center, Mayfield offers plus-mobility navigating in and out of the pocket to find throwing windows and can be an effective improvisor using his legs as a runner or extending plays to allow receivers time to come uncovered while zipping the ball out of his hand off platform. He has a quick release and when his footwork is on point, he throws with quality accuracy at all three levels.
With those traits, Mayfield possesses many of the skills coach Pete Carroll prefers from his quarterback, who he told reporters on Wednesday needs to function like a point guard facilitating Seattle's offense.
"We need a guy that plays the game and moves the football around to the guys that are open," Carroll said. "Does all of the things that manages the game so that we can play great football, because we are going to win with defense, we are going to win with how we play on special teams, we are going to run the football to help the whole thing fit together. That’s never changed."
Of course, Mayfield isn't without his faults. He doesn't have the strongest arm in the NFL and downfield passes can float on him at times. Confident in his ability to thread the needle, he also has shown a tendency to force throws into tight coverage, leading to 56 interceptions in 60 career games.
Like Wilson, Mayfield can get caught trying to do too much and take unnecessary sacks and hits by overextending plays. This has also helped lead to 27 fumbles, including eight of them in 2020. Having long preached the importance of ball control and limiting turnovers, Carroll would not be pleased with those high interception and fumble totals.
Looking at those numbers in perspective, however, Mayfield has not been done any favors from a coaching standpoint. In his rookie season, Hue Jackson was fired during the middle of the season and replaced by Freddie Kitchens, who lasted just one season after having the interim coach tag lifted in 2019.
In the wake of Jackson and Kitchens' failed stints, Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski arrived in 2020, providing much-needed stability for Mayfield, who enjoyed a career year while leading the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Completing 62.8 percent of his passes, he threw 26 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions with a strong running game featuring Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt complementing him.
Unfortunately, Mayfield wasn't able to replicate that production while playing through a painful left shoulder injury last season. While he managed to start 14 games, his passing yardage total dipped down to 3,010 and he threw only 17 touchdowns with 13 interceptions as Cleveland regressed to an 8-9 record and missed the postseason.
Recovering from offseason surgery, Mayfield will be entering the final year of his rookie contract after the Browns opted to pick up his fifth-year option a year ago. Whoever trades for him will be on the hook for the entirety of his $18.858 million salary in 2022 and he will be seeking a long-term deal from the acquiring team.
While that may seem like an expensive price tag, however, 16 quarterbacks will earn more in 2022 and Mayfield will only be 27 years old in April. He's still a young quarterback who has shown he can be a viable game manager at minimum when healthy and in the right scheme, he may just yet become the star quarterback many thought he would be after being selected first overall four years ago.
Possessing many of the qualities Carroll looks for under center, Mayfield would make a lot of sense for the Seahawks as long as they don't have to give up extensive draft capital to acquire him. Per Anderson, the Browns will be seeking a second-round pick or even a conditional third-round pick that could turn into a second based on production or number of starts.
But Berry won't have much leverage given Mayfield's contract situation and desire to play elsewhere. From Seattle's standpoint, general manager John Schneider shouldn't offer anything more than a third-round pick for a quarterback who has not exhibited enough consistency thus far in his career to warrant signing to a lucrative extension.
If the Browns are willing to do business for a third or fourth-round pick simply to cut ties with the disgruntled quarterback, the Seahawks should absolutely pull the trigger, as they would still have the ability to draft a quarterback early if they wish and could recoup a mid-round pick potentially next month. This would allow the team to evaluate Mayfield next season and see whether or not he fits into their long-term plans without mortgaging their future to do so.
