Andrew Berry is not getting a second round draft pick for Baker Mayfield

There are some who believe the Browns can get a second-round pick for Baker Mayfield.

It baffles me sometimes, the same people who hate Baker Mayfield and never wanted, actually believe that Andrew Berry can get a second-round pick for him. Apparently, some in the Browns fandom think they’ll get the same return on Mayfield as the Panthers did on Sam Darnold. The only problem with that, was the Panthers overpaid and the whole league knew it. Mayfield is a better player than Darnold, but the Browns aren’t getting the same value for him.

The fact that people actually think Berry can flip Mayfield for a second-round pick, after all the drama and trauma they caused, is hilarious. It really is. First, you let him play injured, and he looks subpar at that. Still better than Case Keenum, which is why Keenum is gone. Secondly, you lie to him about your motives. Yes, Berry told Mayfield’s representatives at the combine that they may upgrade, but that was a lie. They had already tried to. Keep in mind that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said that the Browns had been trying to obtain Deshaun Watson since the trade deadline in 2021.

Then they leaked that they wanted “an adult” at quarterback, I guess Mayfield was missing 25 accusations to qualify as an adult. That was third. Fourth, Mayfield demanded a trade when the Browns struck out swinging on Watson the first time around.

And finally five, they waited until every team in the league had exhausted their salary cap for the season to finally move him. So sure, if you think the Browns can actually get a second-round pick for Mayfield at this point, more power to you. But you’re wrong.

Yet, Barry Shuck of Dawgs by Nature does in fact believe Berry is holding out for a second-round pick, saying;

"9. It appears Baker Mayfield will be Deshaun’s backup at least until sometime before the trade deadline. As soon as another team’s starting QB goes down, then and only then will Berry get his second round draft pick. Until then, this will force Cleveland to carry three QBs on the roster instead of two with another on the practice squad."

So much wrong with that paragraph

Firstly, the Browns are running a different scheme offensively, at least with regards to the blocking. That’s why every quarterback is a carbon copy of Watson’s skillsets. Mayfield is not a carbon copy of Watson’s skillsets, he’s an RPO passer. Watson isn’t. That’s why the Browns paid for Jacoby Brisset to come in. Mayfield will never put on another Browns jersey as long as he plays.

Secondly, they’re not going to keep him on the roster heading into the regular season. They’ll either trade him for what they can get for him, finally release him, or cook up an injury to put him on IR for the year.

Thirdly and most importantly, this isn’t an issue on team’s already having starters. There are obvious lame-duck starters (Seattle, Houston, Carolina) who will get booted once an upgrade comes calling.

No, this is an issue about money. The Browns have had trade partners wanting Mayfield already, but the Browns are demanding they take on more money than they want. Considering Mayfield is a potential rental, they’re not looking to drop $18 million on a player with an expiring deal this late in the offseason.

Had they traded him before the Watson deal, then ok, you can probably pull this off. But no team is taking on $18 million for this season in May. The Browns have done this in the past under Berry, held out until they couldn’t hold out anymore with a player before cutting them. This was the same situation for Odell Beckham. He asked for a trade, the Browns said no, then he forced their hand by getting himself cut.

The Browns also had another player demand a trade in David Njoku. That hasn’t worked out for either side yet, truly. Maybe Njoku would’ve enjoyed greater success elsewhere when he wasn’t splitting time with two other players constantly.

The Browns like forcing guys to stick around, even when it’s not conducive for them or the player. Maybe if Njoku had been traded, the Browns wouldn’t have to accept Berry’s abject failure at signing Austin Hooper.

Instead, Berry forced a scenario and it blew up in his face. Hooper’s signing cost the Browns a lot of money, Beckham’s release showed the Browns to be more carney folk than pros, and now Mayfield is proving that Berry doesn’t view these men as people; just commodities, to be traded like stocks.

Well, stocks fall, and when that happens you either accept that and buy out, or you watch all of your money go up in flames. If the Browns don’t move on from Mayfield soon, without holding out for a second-round draft pick or a huge chunk of his salary being taken in exchange, the Browns will be forced to eat all $18 million this season and then lose him for nothing in the offseason.

After all, who’s going to pay a lot of money for Mayfield as a free agent after not seeing him healthy and playing for two full seasons?