The Cleveland Browns pulled off one of the most surprising deals of the NFL offseason when they acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. Teams around the league have been attempting to acquire Watson for over a year, but there hadn’t been much movement on a deal.
The Texans were holding out hope that they would be able to convince Watson to return to the field and play with them. But, the biggest hurdle to get over when it came to making a trade was his off-field troubles and 22 lawsuits pending against him.
That is now something that the Browns will have to wait and see about. Cleveland also has to figure out what they are going to be with their incumbent starter, Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. While he had shown some flashes during four seasons as the starter, the Browns decided this offseason that if they could land an upgrade they would. That upgrade is Watson, who agreed to a new contract and will be the franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.
So, what does that mean for Mayfield and his future? Shannon Sharpe, on a recent episode of UNDISPUTED, believes Mayfield will stick with the Browns for the time being. He doesn’t see a landing spot for him after the Indianapolis Colts decided to acquire Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons.
Some people will mention the Seattle Seahawks as a possible landing spot after they traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. However, it seems as if the Seahawks my give Drew Lock, who they acquired from Denver, a chance to start.
Cleveland has already said they will not honor the trade request that Mayfield made, so they will have to be blown away by an offer to move him. But, there is little incentive to move him, because they could very well need him to start games this season.
Depending on how things go for Watson in court, he could still face a suspension from the NFL. If he is not allowed to play in games, the Browns need a solid backup option. For now, that option for them seems to be Mayfield.
While being in limbo like that isn’t ideal for him, the Browns are going to do what is best for the franchise. If that means holding onto Mayfield until they know that Watson will be available 100 percent of the time, that is what they will do.
