Seahawks Remain Interested in Baker Mayfield - At Right Price
Now in the midst of the dead zone that occurs on the NFL offseason calendar annually between OTAs and training camp, the quarterback carousel continues to swirl with the Seahawks at center stage.
Ever since Seattle decided to trade long-time starter Russell Wilson to Denver and Cleveland dealt for embattled star Deshaun Watson in March, speculation has ran rampant about former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield eventually landing in the Pacific Northwest. With the ex-Oklahoma star still in a holding pattern waiting to land with a new team, a new report from Josina Anderson of CBS Sports has brought those rumors back to the forefront.
According to Anderson, the Seahawks still have a "high level" of interest in bringing Mayfield into the fold, indicating the front office has held conversations behind closed doors about extending his contract. Per the report, the team continues to gather information on the quarterback while considering the possibility of acquiring him.
Over the past few months, coinciding with non-stop trade discussion, coach Pete Carroll and John Schneider have reiterated that Seattle would keep options open at the quarterback position. By principle, they never leave a stone unturned and that's certainly the case with Mayfield as well as 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, who also has been shopped this offseason.
However, Carroll told host Ian Furness of KJR 93.3 that he didn't expect a trade for a signal caller to come to fruition back in May. More recently, coming out of their annual three-day mandatory minicamp, he doubled down by declaring the Seahawks in "great shape" at quarterback with Drew Lock and Geno Smith set to compete for the starting job.
“Man, they've been impressive," Carroll said. "They've been really impressive, and it's not been any one sequence here, or one day here, they have just been solid throughout. We've shared a ton of reps, Geno has gone with the first group throughout, but they've had very close to equal reps in situational opportunities throughout. They really have been very impressive, so I can't tell you anything other than that, they've done a terrific job so far and they look in control."
Still, as genuinely excited as Carroll may be about the Seahawks' upcoming quarterback competition, there's no denying Mayfield would be an upgrade from a talent perspective. Only two years ago, he led the Browns to an 11-5 record while throwing 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, nearly leading the franchise to a road upset over the Chiefs in the postseason. Neither Smith nor Lock have come close to posting such numbers in a season.
Unfortunately, Mayfield's play nose-dived in 2021 in large part due to him playing through a separated left shoulder. Well below 100 percent, he regressed across the board with 17 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions and Cleveland missed the playoffs with a disappointing 8-9 record, leading to the team's eventual pursuit in Watson.
That's been the story of Mayfield's career thus far, which partially explains why other teams haven't been rushing to trade for him. He's tantalized with flashes of play where he looked the part of a top-10 quarterback with quality arm talent and underrated athleticism, only to turn around with lengthy droughts where he struggled with accuracy and decision making. Best evidenced by his 2019 season when he threw 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, consistency has persistently evaded him.
But at the end of the day, Mayfield remains with the Browns primarily because of his massive contract. Fully guaranteed as a fifth-year option on his rookie deal, he's due north of $18 million, a cap hit the Seahawks could not absorb right now even if they wanted to, which they certainly don't. That's likely the same mindset for the Panthers, the other team that has been frequently connected to the disgruntled quarterback.
As has been the case all along, Seattle has always had legitimate interest in Mayfield as a potential successor to Wilson, but only at a price point the organization is comfortable with. Even with Cleveland reportedly being willing to eat half of his salary for next year in a trade, Schneider isn't interested in bidding against himself and would prefer to foot an even smaller percentage of the bill, especially if a late round pick has to be sent back as compensation.
Understanding the Browns have minimal leverage, Schneider would rather wait for them to release Mayfield outright in a last resort decision and absorb the majority of the contract. Under such circumstances, the Seahawks would pursue the former Heisman Trophy winner in a heartbeat, possibly negotiating a multi-year deal with him as Anderson suggested. At this time, such a move doesn't appear to be imminent.
For the time being, don't expect the Mayfield to the Seahawks chatter to dissipate anytime soon. As long as he remains available, given their current situation with Smith and Lock as their best options under center, the player and team will be linked to one another. Whether he finds his way to the Emerald City or not boils down to acquisition cost and if the Browns are willing to oblige either by trade or releasing him.
