The Cleveland Browns may have placed themselves between a rock and a hard place with QB Baker Mayfield. Despite reportedly making it clear at the NFL combine that they would pursue clear upgrades at the position or run it back with him at quarterback, Mayfield requested a trade following the team’s pursuit of Deshaun Watson.
Despite the quarterback stating that the relationship is not able to be mended, the team quickly turned down his request to be traded.
Based on the combine report, having Mayfield as their starter for 2022 has seemed to be their plan if they couldn’t find a clear upgrade. Watson being cleared from his criminal case seemed to open the door for that on-the-field upgrade, despite the allegations against the Houston quarterback. Denying the trade request with a plan for Mayfield to start next year makes sense.
