The Cleveland Browns may not have either Baker Mayfield or Deshaun Watson come August

 The Cleveland Browns may be down two quarterbacks very quickly with decisions about Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson looming.

It’s been about three months since the Cleveland Browns made the decision to get an “adult” in the quarterback’s room. Since then Deshaun Watson has added more lawsuits to his name, settled some, and looks to be going to trial for at least four more. During that same time period, Baker Mayfield got lambasted for going on a podcast and talking about…living in Texas?

All things being even, Mayfield hasn’t done anything worth talking about all off-season, even his hotly anticipated interview was a wildly unentertaining affair. Yet, that’s been the most interesting thing Mayfield has done all off-season. At this point we’re just waiting for someone, anyone, to take Mayfield off the hands of the Browns so we can all collectively move on.

The problem is, despite what Browns’ Wire will want you to believe, the Browns have no leverage in this situation but keep acting as they do. The same number of teams that wanted Mayfield at the end of March, two, still want him now. They’re also the same teams.

Yet, we’re supposed to believe the Browns all of a sudden have leverage?

How?

The Carolina Panthers were said to have the urgency to get a deal done. As it’s been two weeks since that report, we can safely say that urgency no longer exists. The Seattle Seahawks have also been rumored to be interested in giving Mayfield a contract extension. This is a new development sure, but the Seahawks had an interest in him prior to the draft.

Yet, still, they wait.

Despite what Browns Wire will have you believe, no the Cleveland Browns don’t have leverage in this deal, because if they did, the deal would be done. That doesn’t mean that they won’t eventually bite the proverbial bullet on this one and just get a deal done. It’s just likely they will have to eat more than the rumored $9 million on his deal.

The team has zero hope of getting a compensatory pick this year if he doesn’t play at all, so the only option they have to recoup anything is to make a deal. Haggling over $9 million, when that money is coming off the books to start next season anyway seems wildly shortsighted.

If only that were the worst of it.

Deshaun Watson’s future may be decided this week

Watson will meet with Sue L. Robinson on Tuesday in what may be the beginning of a long or maybe not long at all, disciplinary process. Robinson was jointly approved by both the NFL and the NFL Players Association to determine the outcome of Watson’s punishment for his involvement in over two dozen cases ranging from accusations of sexual misconduct to much worse.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL is “expected” to push for a  “lengthy” punishment against Watson. While there are 26 accusations, not every woman interviewed with the NFL, so they’ll be looking at punishing him for only those they spoke to.

Schefter’s report claims that Robinson could take at least a week after the initial process has begun to decide on his future in the NFL. Though it may also take as long as several weeks, the NFL hopes it’ll be resolved by the start of training camp.

There’s a very good chance by the start of August, that the Browns have neither Mayfield nor Watson on their roster for the 2022 season.