NFL Insider Reveals Timeline for Baker Mayfield Trade

Let the Baker Mayfield saga continue.

This week Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski called the Baker Mayfield situation “unique” and “fluid.” Most analysts expect the team to trade its former No. 1 pick in the wake of trading for Deshaun Watson as soon as during next week’s NFL Draft.

But according to one insider if a trade does end up happening, it’s going to be the second or third day of the draft.

Via Pro Football Network:

“The Browns trading Baker Mayfield ahead of the draft feels unnecessary. If a team misses out on their ideal QB prospect on Day 1 of the draft, the Browns might have more leverage to make a trade on Day 2. Mayfield doesn’t have much juice on the trade market, and the Browns will probably need to pay for most of his salary in a swap anyway.

That said, the more desperate a team like Seattle or Carolina is after the first round, the more likely the Browns are to improve their draft haul.

Based on those factors, Mayfield is likely to be traded on Day 2 or 3 of the draft at the earliest. The Browns might try to hold him until just before training camp to squeeze any sort of juice they can out of a trade, and that wouldn’t be a foolish move. Ultimately, it feels like Carolina is Mayfield’s most logical end game.”

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For the Browns it’s all about leverage,  and if they do end up trading him, a lot of things are going to have to take place at the first day of the draft. That being said it would be more surprising if he did actually get traded rather than get released.

The Browns are going to want something in return, but Baker is not exactly in demand at this stage of his career.

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