Bleacher Report makes shocking prediction to send former Browns quarterback to division rival

From 2018 to 2021, most Browns' fans thought the team had their franchise quarterback of the future in top overall pick Baker Mayfield. Things changed quickly after a rough 2022 season, which led to him being traded to Carolina. For context on how the league viewed him at that point, the Browns couldn't get more than a conditional fourth-round pick (that ended up as a fifth-round pick) even though the Panthers only took on $4.85 million of his salary.

We all know how the rest turned out, as the Browns swung and missed on Deshaun Watson while Mayfield has revitalized his career in Tampa Bay after hitting rock bottom. Even if the Browns don't regret moving on from Mayfield, they would undoubtedly rather have him than have to deal with the Watson contract. Despite the way the last few years have gone for Mayfield, one analyst made a bold call about the upcoming season, which leads to a fever-dream-like outcome.

Baker Mayfield sent to Pittsburgh in Bleacher Report's early bold trade deadline predictions

In a recent article by Brad Gagnon from Bleacher Report, he made some early, bold predictions for the 2025 NFL trade deadline. One of the moves included a stunning turn of events, which would send Mayfield from the Buccaneers to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"In this case, it's the same idea as above but if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall off a cliff and Baker Mayfield is at the center of that collapse.

It's possible considering the team is generally over the hill and the talented but inconsistent Mayfield tied Cousins with a league-high 16 interceptions in 2024.

Could a contender with quarterback issues decide to roll the dice on him taking off following a change of scenery? We won't speculate on injuries, but the Steelers and Vikings both come to mind in the event that either the Aaron Rodgers experiment blows up quickly or J.J. McCarthy gets off to a horrible start in Minnesota."Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon

Despite a career-best year from Mayfield in 2024, where he finished 11th in MVP voting after leading Tampa Bay to a 10-win season, Gagnon isn't buying the long-term success. Even if he doesn't come close to his career-best marks from a year ago, it would be truly shocking to see the Buccaneers move on from him unless his play completely reverts to his 2022 version.

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Considering the way those around the organization (including Mike Evans) speak about him, it doesn't seem like this bold prediction is very realistic. The point of these predictions is to be way out there and wild, but after two straight division championships, Mayfield is much closer to getting a mega-extension than being traded heading into the new year.