Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Training camp is right around the corner and Baker Mayfield is still apart of the Cleveland Browns roster. While he likely will never put the jersey on again, the Browns need to future out what to do with their former starting quarterback. Mayfield could find himself on the move soon, but the question remains, to where? It has been reported that the Seattle Seahawks still have significant interest in trading for the former starter. However, does it make sense for the Seahawks to trade for Mayfield?
Mayfield is due $18.85 million over the course of his final year on his rookie contract so if Seattle were to trade for him, they would be paying that. Right now, the starter in Seattle likely would be Drew Lock, a player the team got in return for trading Russell Wilson. Mayfield is a better player than Lock so on the surface, getting Mayfield would allow Seattle to be more competitive this coming season.
However, it could also hinder the Seahawks chances of getting a top pick in the next NFL Draft, where the quarterback class is extremely talented. Mayfield would allow the Seahawks to be competitive, but would he really give them a chance to do damage in the NFC? Probably not, so it honestly doesn’t make much sense to trade for him.
The team would be giving up additional assts for a guy that may only be around for one season and that one season would hurt their chances at getting another franchise guy. Unless the trade were to trade for Mayfield and Mayfield turned into someone that he hasn’t shown to be, it doesn’t make much sense. The former first overall pick helped the Browns get over their playoff drought but never showed improvement that the team hoped he would.
Mayfield threw for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over 14 games last season while battling through multiple injuries. If Seattle is really enamored with Mayfield and want to see if he can be their guy going forward, then they should give it a try because he would only be guaranteed to be on the roster for one season. However, the risks outweigh any likely reward so the Seahawks should steer clear of Mayfield as the season starts up again.
