Browns' Myles Garrett: Baker Mayfield 'has to prove himself' with new club

Members of the Cleveland Browns such as linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett find themselves in a unique situation ahead of the summer months. 

While they'd likely prefer to focus on fun things such as gifts for jersey numbers when speaking with reporters, media members are understandably going to ask about the 23 active civil lawsuits regarding allegations of sexual misconduct that continue to hover over the status of new starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Reporters and fans, alike, also want to hear from players about Baker Mayfield, who lost his job to Watson following the blockbuster March trade that occurred after Mayfield struggled through the majority of the 2021 NFL season playing with a torn labrum to his non-throwing shoulder. 

Mayfield isn't attending organized team activities as the Browns look for a club to trade for the 27-year-old and the $18.858 million of fully guaranteed salary he's owed for 2022. Garrett said on Wednesday that he believes the 2018 first overall draft pick will ultimately "land on his feet" elsewhere. 

"People come and go, and this is one of those changes," Garrett said of Mayfield, according to Jake Trotter of ESPN. "I hope the best for him. I hope he moves on and he does well for himself. ... He's played well when he's healthy. When he's healthy, he can do some pretty good things for a team. Just has to find his niche again. I think he has to prove himself, has to get healthy."

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported over the holiday weekend that "the Browns have no plans to cut Mayfield" even if no team trades for him before training camp. Would-be buyers clearly aren't willing to absorb much of his salary, so Cleveland may have to pay him to stay home for some or all of the preseason portion of the calendar to avoid a potential distraction. 

Meanwhile, Garrett also spoke about the accusations made against Watson and said they are "none of my business" before he later added that Watson is "a good guy from what I've seen."