Report: Seattle Seahawks expressing 'high level of interest' in Baker Mayfield

Could a surprise team be entering the mix for Baker Mayfield? One NFL insider said it could be a possibility.

The Seattle Seahawks have “a high-level of interest” in Mayfield and potentially extending him, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson. Seattle traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos earlier this offseason, leaving either Drew Lock or Geno Smith to go under center this year.

Over the weekend on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Seahawks’ potential interest in Mayfield, but said they might not trade for him and, instead, wait for his release. Anderson’s report suggests Seattle might be doing even more work on the Cleveland Browns quarterback, who requested a trade after the team traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a lucrative contract extension.

Jeremy Fowler shares how Carolina Panthers’ decision on Baker Mayfield impacts quarterback situation

The Carolina Panthers are another team linked to Mayfield, and have been since the 2022 NFL Draft. During his SportsCenter hit, Fowler addressed how the Mayfield pursuit impacts the current quarterback situation.

Fowler noted Sam Darnold is likely to start out of the gate while Matt Corral develops, but a decision on a potential trade for Mayfield is an important piece of the puzzle as training camp comes around the corner.

“Sam Darnold has a pretty firm hold on the quarterback job right now,” Fowler said. “Matt Rhule, the head coach, admitted that Matt Corral, the rookie, probably [is] not ready. Might need some time.

“But the Baker Mayfield situation does loom large here. Carolina has been flirting with this for a while, dating back to the draft. Now, it all depends on how much money Cleveland would cover out of Mayfield’s $19 million. Right now, the belief league-wide is they’d maybe cover half. Carolina’s going to need them to cover more than that to do the deal.”