The saga surrounding Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns doesn’t show any sign of ending anytime soon. However, if it does end with the Browns cutting their former starting quarterback, one NFL insider thinks he won’t waste any time singing with one of their biggest rivals.
Mayfield isn’t attending voluntary workouts for the Browns while he waits to find out what his situation is. The former starter has said that he feels disrespected by the team and the situation, but the franchise also doesn’t appear to be in any rush to move him as the market for quarterbacks dried up while they were busy pursuing Deshaun Watson.
There’s a decent chance the Browns will try to move Mayfield during the NFL Draft. However, if they can’t find any takers, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they decide to cut the disgruntled quarterback and move forward. If that happens, it sounds like there’s one team that would make a perfect spite partner for him.
“If for some reason the Browns, and I don’t expect this to happen, were to cut Baker Mayfield, I think he signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers the very next day,” Darlington shared Wednesday during his appearance on Get Up. “Teams do still covet Baker Mayfield. They just don’t think that they need to give up as much as the Cleveland Browns are asking right now.”
Panthers? Seahawks? Steelers? 🤔
Where will Baker Mayfield end up this season? pic.twitter.com/Ucn1eZaIZy
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 20, 2022
Darlington isn’t the first insider to float this notion. Cleveland Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot said that the Steelers would likely “pounce” on Mayfield if he were cut.
While the Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky last month as their presumed replacement for Ben Roethlisberger, bringing in Mayfield on the cheap to compete for that spot couldn’t hurt. The franchise is also reeling from the tragic loss of Dwayne Haskins.
It seems like it would be silly for the Browns not to at least try to get something for Mayfield at this point, even if it’s just some low draft picks. But we get the sense that Baker would love the chance to compete directly against Cleveland and prove them wrong. Signing with the Steelers would be the perfect way to do that.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.