Baker Mayfield not expected to join Cleveland Browns for start of offseason program

This offseason has been an eventful one for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. After months of rumors and speculations surrounding his future in Cleveland, the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and handed him a historic NFL contract extension. Now, Mayfield is expected to play elsewhere next season.

When the Browns begin voluntary offseason workouts on Tuesday, Mayfield will unsurprisingly be absent. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Mayfield won’t be attending Browns camp to begin the voluntary phase of the offseason program.

With Watson now set as the Browns starting quarterback, Mayfield could soon be on the move. A major hiccup to a potential trade, though, is Mayfield’s contract which is set to pay him over $18 million next season. Watson could still be facing discipline from the NFL, but it still appears that Mayfield is on his way out of Cleveland. The relationship between him and the organization appears to have hit an irreparable point, and he is owed a lot of money to sit around as a backup.

The Browns drafted Mayfield with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. Since coming to Cleveland, Mayfield has led the Browns to a 29-30 regular season record in four years. He has thrown for 14,125 yards with 92 touchdowns and 56 touchdowns in his NFL career.

This past season, Mayfield battled through shoulder injuries but still played in 14 games, throwing for 3,010 yards with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Mayfield recently opened up on his relationship with the Browns

Last week, Mayfield said that he doesn’t have any regrets when looking back on his time with the Browns. While he doesn’t know where he will play next, he is looking for the respect that he feels he deserves.

“Yeah, the respect thing is like, it’s all going to be like a personal opinion,” responded Mayfield, when asked if he felt slighted by the Browns. “I feel disrespected. 100%. Because I was told one thing, and they completely did another. That’s what I’m in the middle of right now. You know what, okay, I got my taste of it. Because I’ve had four different head coaches in four years. A bunch of different offensive coordinators. I’ve had, we can talk about the highs — they always come back. They always come back. But like, I had great times my rookie year. I didn’t start in the beginning, I came in and got to have fun the back-half of the year. 2019 sucked. 2020 was great, made the playoffs. 2021 was miserable.

“I’m just looking for stabilization right now. I know what I need to do for me to be the best version of me, and to lead an organization. I’m in a good place right now, where I have no clue where I’m going.”

The Carolina Panthers have been linked to Mayfield as a possible landing spot, although nothing is imminent. With the NFL Draft less than two weeks away, more clarity on his future could soon be coming for Mayfield.