REPORT(s): Seahawks still interested in Mayfield, Browns willing to eat salary

The real question is which round of a draft pick is Mayfield worth? 7th? Sure. 6th? Maybe. 5th? No.

So a 6th with a heavy incentive contract is the best option.

Spohawks said:

The real question is which round of a draft pick is Mayfield worth? 7th? Sure. 6th? Maybe. 5th? No.

So a 6th with a heavy incentive contract is the best option.

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If a team trades anything for Mayfield, that team gets get his $19.9M fully guaranteed contract. No incentives.

If Mayfield is cut, which is the situation that would allow a team to give him an incentive-heavy contract, then that team wouldn't have to give anything to the Browns for him.

In either case, I'd expect Mayfield and his agent to push for a longer-term contract (an extension if he's traded, a new multiyear contract if he's cut and then acquired as a street free agent) with the acquiring team.

I'm hearing that the Browns are expecting Watson to be suspended for the entire season, so they may decide to hold onto Mayfield at least initially. I can't imagine the Hawks or anyone else trading anything more than a Day 3 draft pick for him even if the Browns were to eat a large portion of the $19M they owe him.

Mayfield’s fully guaranteed contract for this season is $18.858 mil. The ‘ Factory of Sadness ‘ is willing to eat half of that salary to rid themselves of him. They also rid themselves of a potential compensatory pick if he gets picked up elsewhere and another team is willing to pay him at even a mid range level for an experienced QB.

Frankly I’d wait and watch hoping Cleveland will eat more pain and salary here before trading much of anything for Mayfield. Still truly think this whole discussion is a form of promotion by Cleveland, or Mayfield’s agent and the Hawks are not really interested..

Cleveland has truly messed up this situation but looking at it, it’s certainly a situation that bears a lot of scrutiny. Why is Cleveland willing to part with him in such an ugly and shortsighted fashion? Is Mayfield a player worth building a team around? Can he do what the Hawks need him to do? There are many more significant questions and here we just need to have faith that whatever decision the Hawks make on Mayfield will be one that helps the team going forward.

The team has indicated they aren’t interested but yet behind the scenes there is curious activity, an apparent visit to Seattle by Mayfield, recent movement by Cleveland on eating guaranteed salary. There is still some smoke here but maybe it’s just smoke.

Lots of high draft picks at QB don’t pan out. Cleveland and Cincie have a very long list of wasted 1st rd. picks at QB. In the end is Mayfield worth assessing here? For the Hawks what is the opportunity cost? Is he worth $9.3 mil and a draft pick for 1 season?

There are many viewpoints on the player, yet why did Cleveland handle this situation as they did?

jammerhawk said:

Mayfield’s fully guaranteed contract for this season is $18.858 mil. The ‘ Factory of Sadness ‘ is willing to eat half of that salary to rid themselves of him. They also rid themselves of a potential compensatory pick if he gets picked up elsewhere and another team is willing to pay him at even a mid range level.

Frankly I’d wait and watch hoping Cleveland will eat more pain and salary here before trading much of anything for Mayfield. Still truly think this whole discussion is a form of promotion by Cleveland, or Mayfield’s agent and the Hawks are not really interested..

Cleveland has truly messed up this situation but looking at it, it’s certainly a situation that bears a lot of scrutiny. Why is Cleveland willing to part with him in such an ugly and shortsighted fashion? Is Mayfield a player worth building a team around? Can he do what the Hawks need him to do? There are many more significant questions and here we just need to have faith that whatever decision the Hawks make on Mayfield will be one that helps the team going forward.

The team has indicated they aren’t interested but yet behind the scenes there is curious activity, an apparent visit to Seattle by Mayfield, recent movement by Cleveland on eating guaranteed salary. There is still some smoke here but maybe it’s just smoke.

Lots of high draft picks at QB don’t pan out. Cleveland and Cincie have a very long list of wasted 1st rd. picks at QB. In the end is Mayfield worth assessing here? For the Hawks what is the opportunity cost?

There are many viewpoints on the player, yet why did Cleveland handle this situation as they did?

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You pose a lot of good questions regarding why the Browns were so anxious to cut bait with Mayfield, and I'll toss in another one that you didn't mention.

The Brown's decision to bring in Watson in what can only be described as an insane cost came about 9 months after they had picked up Mayfield's 5th year option. Granted, Mayfield had a really bad 2021, but he was playing with an injured non throwing shoulder through much of the season so there was considerable reason to believe that he would rebound and play more like he did in 2020.

What was it that caused the Browns to sour on Mayfield so quickly after having picked up his option? Something else besides his play in 2021 must be at work. Was Mayfield having an affair with the owner's wife? Was he talking to dead people? It sure makes you wonder, and like you, I hope we have sense enough to not get within a country mile of Mayfield even if the Browns were to cut him.

Mayfield is mediocrity waiting to happen. Ride with the young buck and draft your franchise guy next year after we go 4-13

I don't believe the Seahawks are seriously interested in Mayfield. I believe he will land on the Panthers. Hopefully it will cost the Panthers more to get him.

I've always liked Mayfield's positive attitude toward going to the Browns at draft time. Those cheesy comercials never bothered me either - I thought they were light hearted and humorous. BUT, I don't think he's a good fit for us and I agree with the idea that something else is playing behind the scenes. Permanant health issues maybe?

I hope we pass to get a rookie QB next year. I don't want the team to take chances on an "iffy" situation. No guarantee with a draft pick, but we wont have to pay as much.

Whatever you say, Maelstrom. He's a lot better than Lock and Geno, period. I want the team to win, he makes them better. Why is that hard to understand?

SoulfishHawk said:

Whatever you say, Maelstrom. He's a lot better than Lock and Geno, period. I want the team to win, he makes them better. Why is that hard to understand?

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1. Actually, he was bad enough and toxic enough to lose his own locker room.

2. He's got health red flags.

3. Trading for him would cost nearly $20m, and he's not worth half of that. He may be worth nothing, as the team is arguably worse with him.

4. The team is in a rebuild phase and likely cannot reasonably compete for a championship this year. Baker certainly does not change this. Team culture and chemistry is more important than a perhaps slight upgrade talent-wise at quarterback.

You're speaking in absolutes about *Baker Mayfield*. Makes no sense, guy. Could he come in with a new attitude? Sure. Is he also a big giant walking red flag? Yes. Obviously.

Maelstrom787 said:

1. Actually, he was bad enough and toxic enough to lose his own locker room.

2. He's got health red flags.

3. Trading for him would cost nearly $20m, and he's not worth half of that. He may be worth nothing, as the team is arguably worse with him.

4. The team is in a rebuild phase and likely cannot reasonably compete for a championship this year. Baker certainly does not change this. Team culture and chemistry is more important than a perhaps slight upgrade talent-wise at quarterback.

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1. Was it Baker Mayfield's fault or was it Odell Beckham Jr's fault? Remember how Percy Harvin fractured our locker room on the Seahawks? Beckham was toxic his whole stint with the Browns.

2. Any trade like this requires that player pass a physical. The surgery he had is routine and not likely to affect him in a negative fashion. Stafford had the same surgery once upon a time and still throws rockets.

3. If what we're hearing is right, trading for him is contingent upon the Browns eating some of his salary. I don't see how you can argue the "arguably worse" angle either. Geno Smith and Drew Lock are among some of the worst QB duos in the league if you base it off their careers. Baker Mayfield in 2021 season, still had a better year than Lock or Smith have been able to put together in their careers. It's no doubt that he makes the team better at least in the short term. The real question is: what is the long term opportunity cost? A Baker Mayfield led Seahawks team could very easily sneak into a wildcard spot. This would effectively ruin our prospects for a top tier QB prospect running on a cheap rookie deal.

4. This i'm willing to concede. Baker Mayfield at the end of the day needs to fit in with the Seahawks culture. Pete in pulling the trigger needs to be able to deem that he is a fit. The opportunity cost even if draft capital isn't a concern with Baker Mayfield is potentially really high. I'm agnostic on having him on the team. He is an immediate upgrade, but he could cost us a much better QB. I think he still has untapped potential -- but the question is; will he ever reach that, and if he doesn't you're stuck with a Kirk Cousins character that is good enough to stick around but not good enough to win games.

SoulfishHawk said:

Whatever you say, Maelstrom. He's a lot better than Lock and Geno, period. I want the team to win, he makes them better. Why is that hard to understand?

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Success is the result of making good decisions. Good decisions are the result of maintaining a long-term focus. You are focused on the short-term. That's fine for fans, players, and coaches on game day. It is not good for those making decisions. Short-sighted decisions during a rebuilding period result in perpetual failure. Short-sighted decisions for a team at or near the top result in rapid descent to mediocrity or worse. The only time for short-sighted decision-making is when the team is in position to compete for a championship.

And, are you really certain that Baker is "a lot better than Lock and Geno"? I am not certain of this. At best he is slightly better than Lock and Geno.

I want the team to win; I am not convinced Mayfield makes them better in the short term. I strongly believe that bringing Mayfield in is a short-sighted strategy that will set the team back in the rebuild (not much, but team building is won in the margins): 1) you give up a future pick and/or cap space; 2) if he does add wins, you lose draft position; 3) adding him may create locker room and team culture problems. "Culture is everything during a rebuild," this is especially true with a young core.

In my opinion, you do not add Mayfield unless you see him as a long-term solution.

Culture...

If the discussions about Wilson and Carroll disagreeing on cultural issues are valid then figuring out a way for Baker Mayfield to "fit in" is really the biggest question here.

If Baker wants to walk in as a starter on day one, he can't fit in Seattle. He'll have to be willing to earn the spot with equal snaps in practice with Geno and Lock. I can't see PC/JS inviting the same situation they just exited with RW3. Baker's never done that-competed for his job. Maybe he can. Maybe he's willing. But I think that's a huge hurdle. Everything's dependent on that attitude. It dictates how a team would pay him. It dictates when a team would pick him up. It dictates what team/s might be willing to eat some/all of his salary. If he's one of three QBs competing, does that justify 20million? I think Baker can make a case if he really wants to, but he hasn't been doing or saying the right things to make anyone think he wants to compete for a job anywhere. It seems like he's really content to be DeShaun's backup at 20million unless he's anointed a starter somewhere else.

FWIW: If Watson's suspension remains undefined very long or if it's season-ending and the Brown's end up paying Watson's guaranteed 46 million and Mayfield's guaranteed 20 million, they have 1/3 of their total Cap in one position-1 player on the field. They can't do this and be competitive. It's quickly becoming more important for the Brown's to move Baker's 20million salary than get anything in return. Even if they just cut him, they'll still be on the hook for that much salary and Cap because it's guaranteed. Baker would be worth a 3rd round comp pick if the Browns' kept him and he became a FA next year. I predict that the Browns will trade Baker and a 2023 5th round pick to a team willing to eat his salary. I don't think it'll be the Seahawks.

SoulfishHawk said:

Whatever you say, Maelstrom. He's a lot better than Lock and Geno, period. I want the team to win, he makes them better. Why is that hard to understand?

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I’d really like it if Geno gets cut. He is about as bad as any qb in the nfl. Really we have had no decent backup qb since Wilson became the starter.

No team is trading for Mayfield's contract in full. Teams are only interested if the Browns agree to pay a significant part of the $18.86M salary as a roster bonus.

If Mayfield joins in the near future it's going to be for between $6.5M and $10M in salary, sans pick. A 7th round pick is worth about $800K so they could adjust a minor disagreement about salary absorption that way. Mayfield might have less value in 6 weeks time so the salary price could drop. Then again Mayfield could be shipped elsewhere and the Seahawks would have to go with what they've got.

SoulfishHawk said:

Whatever you say, Maelstrom. He's a lot better than Lock and Geno, period. I want the team to win, he makes them better. Why is that hard to understand?

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It isn't obvious to me that Baker's "a lot better".
Lock has better foot speed, at least for 40 yards.
Baker's smaller, certainly has had more wear and tear than Drew Lock. Did you see the final seconds of Baker's 2020 win vs Indy? Baker was knocked out, staggering...maybe avoiding concussion protocol only because the clock was ticking to zero.

The Mayfield situation is starting to grow on me. He gets the ball out quick and with a McVay offense it’ll work with the weapons we have

fullquartpress said:

It isn't obvious to me that Baker's "a lot better".
Lock has better foot speed, at least for 40 yards.
Baker's smaller, certainly has had more wear and tear than Drew Lock. Did you see the final seconds of Baker's 2020 win vs Indy? Baker was knocked out, staggering...maybe avoiding concussion protocol only because the clock was ticking to zero.

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Baker Mayfield is a lot better than Lock, that point is a non-starter. You cannot argue that Lock is almost as good as Mayfield. Even Mayfield's disappointing 2021 is better than anything Lock has put together in the NFL. Athletically, is Lock better? Sure, if you just isolate 40 times and arm strength. Despite Mayfield having a slower 40, he's actually a better scrambler than Lock. He's also better in just about every category where it matters.

Baker Mayfield traded to the Saints...yes!!!!..nevermind it was a spoof source....

Cyrus12 said:

Baker Mayfield traded to the Saints...yes!!!!..nevermind it was a spoof source....

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Damnit…got my hopes up.

Hopes that we don’t come anywhere near this dude….

Will Levis y’all. Will Levis.