Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on Baker Mayfield: 'That’s a unique situation'

To the surprise of pretty much nobody who has followed the matter over the past month or so, former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Baker Mayfield did not report for the beginning of the team's voluntary offseason workouts on Tuesday morning as he looks to be traded following the club's blockbuster deal with the Houston Texans for star signal-caller Deshaun Watson. 

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke with reporters Wednesday and elected against confirming Mayfield wasn't at the team's facility. Stefanski also offered little about Mayfield's status with the organization as the 2018 first-overall draft pick who is owed a fully guaranteed salary of $18.858 million for 2022 continues to recover from the January surgery he underwent to repair his injured non-throwing shoulder. 

"I’d tell you that’s a unique situation. It’s fluid. And we’ll just continue to work through it as we go each day," Stefanski explained, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "It’s a voluntary program. What we won’t do is we won’t say who’s here, who’s not here. It’s voluntary. The guys that show up, we’re excited that they’re here. We’re excited to work with them." 

While speaking during a podcast interview that was released last week, Mayfield remarked he felt "disrespected" by the Browns regarding their pursuit of Watson. 

"I’m not going to get into the specifics of those types of things," Stefanski answered when asked about that comment. "Again, it really is a unique situation and we’ll just work through it." 

Mayfield has been linked with the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers in trade rumors this month, but ESPN's Jeff Darlington recently said the Pittsburgh Steelers would sign the 27-year-old "the very next day" if Cleveland cuts him at some point after the NFL Draft, which gets underway on April 28.