Analyst thinks there's a '100% chance' Seahawks would pursue Baker Mayfield if Browns cut him

While the Carolina Panthers may not have completely shut the door on trading for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield this spring or summer, it's been thought since late March the Panthers and other organizations are willing to wait for Cleveland to release the former starter who's been replaced atop the depth chart by Deshaun Watson. 

Before last month's NFL Draft, it was reported the Seattle Seahawks did not "want to give up much" for Mayfield, as he's still owed $18.858 million of fully guaranteed salary for 2022. ESPN's Dianna Russini recently claimed the Seahawks "have no interest in" Mayfield and are instead comfortable with either 2019 second-round pick Drew Lock or veteran Geno Smith serving as their QB1 this fall, but former NFL signal-caller Jake Heaps reports that's not necessarily the case. 

"Via trade? 0% chance," Heaps said during an edition of the "Jake and Stacy" show on Seattle Sports 710 AM about Seattle possibly acquiring Mayfield, per Brandon Gustafson of SeattleSports.com. "Via free agency after being cut? 100% chance. That’s how I feel. That is the disparity between the two. There is no way, no how the Seahawks are going to be anywhere close to being interested in trading for Baker Mayfield."

Heaps added that Seattle is, theoretically, the best landing spot for the 2018 first overall draft choice. 

"I think that Baker Mayfield if he’s looking at the landscape, the situation here in Seattle should be infinitely more attractive than the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Carolina Panthers or whoever else would be vying for his services," Heaps explained. "I think the Seattle Seahawks would be the exact right place for him and I think the Seahawks should 100% be in on that situation if it did present itself … No way they trade for him but if he becomes on the open market, you better believe that they will crank it up and they will definitely be aggressive in their pursuit of him." 

As of now, the Browns are seemingly in no hurry to release Mayfield and appear convinced some club will ultimately view the 27-year-old as an upgrade over its current starter. That's all well and good, but Cleveland's phone clearly hasn't been ringing off the hook regarding Mayfield's services over the past couple of months.