Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield ready 'to move on,' requests trade from Cleveland Browns

Published Mar. 17, 2022 6:07 p.m. ET

It appears Baker Mayfield's tenure with the Cleveland Browns might be coming to a screeching halt.

The 26-year-old quarterback has officially requested to be traded ahead of the upcoming season, ESPN reports.

"It's in the mutual interest of both sides for us to move on," the quarterback said.

But the Browns are "not accommodating" Mayfield's ask, according to ESPN. This latest news comes two days after Mayfield shared a cryptic message on social media about his time in Cleveland.

It also comes shortly after the Browns were informed that Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson had eliminated the Browns from the running after Cleveland made a pitch to persuade Watson to waive his no-trade clause.

Mayfield — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — has spent four years at the helm in Cleveland, where he led the Browns to a 29-30 record (1-1 in the playoffs). In 2020, he led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and first postseason win since the 1994-95 season.

Since entering the league, Mayfield ranks 11th in NFL in passing yards (14,125), 12th in passing touchdowns (92) and first in interceptions (56) among QBs (min 500 pass attempts).

Mayfield boasts more wins (29) than all other starting Browns quarterbacks since the 2012 season, and he is the only Brown to throw at least 20 TDs in each of his first three seasons. What's more, he recorded at least one touchdown pass in each of his first 17 career starts, trailing only then-St. Louis Rams' Kurt Warner (23 from 1999-00) for most consecutive starts with a TD pass to begin an NFL career.

He is also one of only three players in NFL history to record at least 3,500 passing yards with at least 20 TD passes in each of their first three seasons — joining Peyton Manning (1998-00) and Andrew Luck (2012-14).

On Thursday's "The Herd," Kevin Clark joined Colin Cowherd to explain why the Browns should give Mayfield the trade that he's requesting and shared that he thinks Cleveland's next move should be at QB.

"I would overpay for Jimmy Garoppolo to end this saga," Clark said. "You can't go in for an entire season with a guy in Baker Mayfield where it has the capability to be a toxic situation. Chris Mortensen had to report [that] they ‘want an adult at quarterback.' You can't get Chris Mortensen to un-report that. That's out there. … They said it, they meant it."

"Now, what do you do?" Clark continued. "Kevin Stefanski is an amazing coach. The fact that he won a playoff game last year and it seemed normal — it didn't seem miraculous — is one of the greatest things I've seen in the last couple of years. And the way Cleveland embraced that team in a weird year. Baker has had success. … I think you go with a stopgap, someone like a Jimmy Garoppolo, and I think you try to take a big swing next year.

"I know Cleveland is not Denver. I know it's not Miami. I know it's not Tampa [Bay]. But what better way to establish a legacy and a legendary status, than actually being the quarterback to make it work in Cleveland? I think at some point, a good quarterback thinks that way."

Browns should overpay for Jimmy G

Kevin Clark and Colin Cowherd break down what's next for Baker Mayfield.

On "Speak For Yourself," Emmanuel Acho explained why he is disheartened by the news.

"As a former Browns player, I'm embarrassed and utterly disappointed," he said. "They found a way to make someone powerless incredibly powerful. Baker Mayfield was one of the most powerless and helpless quarterbacks entering the offseason after struggling this year, but the Browns have given Baker Mayfield all the power, all the cards."

Baker Mayfield requests trade from Browns

Emmanuel Acho reacts to the breaking news that the Browns have told Mayfield's agent they are not accommodating his requests.

" … They tried to cheat on Baker Mayfield with Deshaun Watson, find out Deshaun Watson [doesn't] want them. Then they tried to go back to Baker Mayfield to find out Baker Mayfield no longer wants them. Now who are you, Cleveland? In a year where the draft class for quarterbacks is as bad as it has ever been. It's embarrassing. [The] Cleveland Browns have completed fumbled this quarterback situation," Acho continued.

"If I'm Baker, I wouldn't want them either."