The Baker Mayfield saga appears to be heading towards an ending with the Cleveland Browns. We just don’t know how and which NFL team the embattled quarterback will play for next season.
Despite attempts on both sides to say there was no bad blood between him and the organization during the season, it was apparent that the Browns were ready to move on from Mayfield if they could when they made it known that they wanted Deshaun Watson. When that news leaked, Mayfield released a statement essentially signaling that he was done in Cleveland, which in turn seems to have caused the organization to double its efforts to trade with the Houston Texans for the controversial QB. In the end, the Browns got the “adult” they wanted, for better or worse.
Baker then reportedly requested a trade from the Browns, which they initially denied but later came back around when they realized they were getting Watson. Mayfield seemed to hope he could be traded to the Indianapolis Colts, only to see them set their sights on Atlanta’s Matt Ryan instead. The Falcons immediately signed Marcus Mariota as well, closing the loop on them as a potential landing spot. That doesn’t leave the Browns will too many trade partners for Baker and the possibility that they will just outright cut him and eat the rest of his contract is becoming more and more possible.
Our Orange and #Browns Talk pod for Tuesday, Hey, Mary Kay! edition. All about Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson: https://t.co/rL90AVAP2R
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 22, 2022
If that happens, the Pittsburgh Steelers, of all teams, would “pounce” on Mayfield’s right, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. And given how Cabot has been proven right time and time again in the Mayfield-Browns saga, it’s a good bet.
“The Steelers will pounce on Baker Mayfield if he becomes available,” Cabot said. “Like if they cut him and he’s just out there, they would take him in a minute. And I’m sure a lot of people would.”
That probably sounds pretty shocking to a lot of NFL fans given the rivalry between the two sides. However, given the Steelers’ quarterback situation, why not take a flyer on a guy like Mayfield, especially since he’s going to be extra motivated the two times that you play the Browns each season?
Cabot did add that plenty more teams besides the Steelers are going to see Mayfield as a risk worth taking.
“If you can get him for nothing and the Browns have to eat that money, then certainly somebody would go grab him in that scenario,” Cabot added. “But short of that, I do think it’s going to be a situation where they have to hope somebody desperately needs a starting quarterback.”
This drama is likely to end soon and Mayfield will have a new home. Will it be the Steelers or somewhere else? It’s been a wild offseason so far in the NFL, who so knows?
