CLEVELAND, Ohio – Baker Mayfield’s ears perked up on Thursday when at least one website suggested that the Browns should consider negotiating with Texas quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Fansided Dawg Pound Daily wrote an article saying that Watson would represent an update, then tweeted with the caption “The Cleveland #Browns need to think about Deshaun Watson. ”
Mayfield tweeted with the reply, “Some of you,” browns “are funny, ” meaning” brown fans “.
Mayfield, who went 11-5 this season and lost to the Chiefs, 22-17 in the AFC divisional round, mostly missed out on Twitter wars this season, but couldn’t help it this time.
But he probably has nothing to worry about.
The Browns are unlikely to pursue such a deal because they are committed to Mayfield and because the Texans have no plans to deal with the Pro Bowler three times, despite the fact that he has declared that he still wants to be traded on Thursday, the day the team hired David Culley as their new head coach.
At a news conference on Friday, the new GM Nick Caserio reiterated the club’s commitment to Watson, who switched from 25th to 12th place with the Browns in 2017 for the draft.
“He had a big impact on this organization, a big impact on many people, a big impact on this team, ” said Caserio. “We look forward to the opportunity to spend more time with him here this spring, as soon as we start.
“We have no interest in negotiating the player. We have a big plan, a big vision for him and this team and his role in our team. We look forward to the opportunity to spend more time with him here this spring. “
Watson, who allegedly wanted the Texans to interview former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, before being hired by the Jets, told the club he wanted to leave regardless of who the new head coach was, according to several reports.
“The best way to deal with relationships is to communicate, to be honest and frank. We will do that with everyone in this building, ”added Caserio.
“There will be player decisions that we will have to make, and we will do this one day at a time.”
Culley, the longtime disciple of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, and former Ravens assistant coach, wide receivers coach and 2019-20 passing game coordinator, echoed those sentiments and seemed confident he could calm things down. stuff.
“Deshaun Watson is a Texan from Houston,” he said. “That was all I cared about and everything I knew. Whatever has been said about what he wanted to do, he is a Houston Texan. I want him to be a Houston Texan. The reason I’m in this position today is because I knew he was going to be a Houston Texan. The external things that have been said are irrelevant to me.
“The most important thing for me is to find out what I can do after talking to (everyone).”
Meanwhile, the Browns have made it clear that Mayfield is the quarterback of the future, without labeling him as the “franchise quarterback”.
“He did an excellent job this year,” said Browns GM Andrew Berry after the season. “He took us to the first appearance in the playoffs in ages. We won 12 victories, played winning football all year and developed a very strong relationship with Kevin [Stefanski] and the team is offensive and really, as I mentioned last week, it really thrives weekly both on and off the field. We are very, very satisfied with it.
“We wouldn’t be where we were at the end of the season without his performance. He had a really incredible season. “
The Browns’ next agenda for Mayfield is to exercise their fifth-year option for between $ 18 million and $ 21 million for 2022 by the May 3 deadline. After that, they will determine whether to hire him for the extension of the long-term contract that he is eligible for this off-season is the right move, or whether they will wait to see how it will be part or all of the next season.
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