Baker Mayfield is going to have his trade request granted after all. After initially being told they were out of the running for his services, soon-to-be-former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson did an about-face on Friday and has decided that he wants to play for the Cleveland Browns, as confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. Now, the Browns and Texans are nearing an agreement to send the 26-year-old to Cleveland in a historic trade that is reportedly set to include three first-rounders among other pieces.
While this closes the book on Watson’s spin around the carousel, it sends Mayfield’s into hyperdrive. In the aftermath of Watson’s decision coming to light, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that Mayfield has informed the Browns that his preferred destination for his next NFL team is the Indianapolis Colts.
As Cleveland made its pursuit of Watson, Mayfield — possibly feeling like his time with the Brown was nearing its end — took to social media to share what read like a goodbye to the city and fans. Once Watson initially decided to turn down the Browns, word got out that Mayfield decided to ask for a trade, noting that it would be best for both sides if they parted ways. The Browns then relayed that they would not grant that request.
Of course, everything changed with Watson’s latest decision, and the team will now look to move on from their former No. 1 overall pick. And if he has it his way, he’ll be going to Indy.
The Colts are in the hunt for a new starting quarterback after the Carson Wentz experiment left little to be desired and the club traded him to the Washington Commanders for an assortment of Day 2 picks.
Mayfield would be an upgrade over what Wentz was able to put together in his lone season in Indianapolis and he would have a solid offense around him, headlined by a sturdy offensive line, running back Jonathan Taylor, and receiver Michael Pittman. The Colts’ run-first offense with Taylor would also be quite similar to the offense Mayfield ran in Cleveland.
While Indy may be the place where Mayfield is eyeing, there’s no guarantee that the Browns will actually trade him there. Naturally, there will likely be other QB-needy teams that come out of the woodwork to see what it’ll take to land Mayfield as Cleveland moves forward with Watson.
KVSP