Report: 'Very slim' chance Mayfield plays for Browns if Watson is suspended

Three things that are clear about the future of Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield as of the second Monday of May are that he's owed $18.858 million of fully guaranteed salary for 2022, he's lost his job to signal-caller Deshaun Watson, and he currently cannot find a new football home unless a team agrees to trade for his services or the Browns release him.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry has repeatedly hinted since the team landed Watson from the Houston Texans in March that he's in no hurry to cut Mayfield and lose him for nothing, and NFL insider Josina Anderson seemed to confirm on Monday that remains the case while adding the Carolina Panthers may still be interested in acquiring the 27-year-old.

Some understandably have wondered if Mayfield could find himself temporarily atop Cleveland's depth chart this fall if he's still with the team and Watson is suspended over the 22 civil lawsuits he's facing regarding allegations of sexual misconduct. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, such a scenario does not appear to be in the cards. 

"I think the chances of that are very slim," Cabot responded when asked about Mayfield possibly filling in for an unavailable Watson. "For starters, I think the Browns will find a trade partner for Mayfield before training camp even if they have to pay part of his $18.86 million salary. I think some team will be smart enough to trade for Mayfield, who can still help a team and represents an upgrade over a handful of current starters in the NFL. 

"But if for some reason Mayfield is still hanging around at the start of the season, he won’t start for Watson if he’s suspended. That job will go to No. 2 quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who’s been here working in the offseason program and developing timing with his new teammates. If Brissett gets injured amid a Watson suspension and Mayfield is still here, the Browns would have to decide between Mayfield and Josh Dobbs, but I don’t see it getting to that point. It behooves the Browns to trade Mayfield as soon as they can and eliminate the distraction." 

For a piece published earlier on Monday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk referred to Mayfield as a potential "distraction" for the Browns and argued they should just cut him now "and move on." 

Last week, ESPN's Jake Trotter wrote that some close to Mayfield think Cleveland may have sabotaged the first pick from the 2018 draft late in the 2021 campaign "to potentially pave the way for the franchise to more easily explain why it might be moving on from him in the offseason." Assuming Mayfield thinks that's true, it would indicate he has zero intention of suiting up for the team ever again even as an emergency starter.