The Cleveland Browns made a massive splash on Friday with the trade to acquire star quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. While the move is one that should improve the product on the field, the Browns are catching a ton of criticism for the way they handled the situation with Baker Mayfield.

After being connected to the Watson trade rumor mill, the Browns upset their former franchise quarterback. Mayfield then decided to request a trade due to there being too much to fix in Cleveland. However, when it appeared that Cleveland would be unable to acquire Watson, the franchise made it clear that they would not honor Mayfield’s request.

That had set the stage for an ugly situation between Mayfield and the Browns moving forward. Reports also came out that Cleveland wanted an “adult” at quarterback, which was even more upsetting to Mayfield.

Following the entire situation, one NFL executive spoke to NFL Analysis Network and ripped the Browns to shreds over the way they handled the whole thing.

“Look, I’m not saying anyone handles this kind of thing perfectly, but the way Baker (Mayfield) was treated was ridiculous. You had a guy that wanted to be there, that had helped take that franchise out of poverty. And to hit him with the door on the way out like they have is unacceptable.”

Most Browns fans would agree with that sentiment. Very few felt like Mayfield was going to be the guy to take Cleveland to a Super Bowl win, but he had turned things around for the franchise. Treating him like this is a very bad way to end the relationship.

With that being said, Baker Mayfield ends his career with the Browns putting up solid all-around numbers. He completed 61.6 percent of his pass attempts in four years with the team, racking up 14,125 passing yards, 92 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions. Mayfield also picked up 571 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

There is no doubt that Mayfield left everything he had on the field with the Browns. He can move on knowing that he did everything he could for Cleveland. It may not have been enough to get the franchise into Super Bowl contention, but it was a good four-year run.

Expect to hear more rumors in the near future about where Mayfield will play the next chapter of his career. At this point in time, the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks seem like the two most likely destinations.