the Browns and Baker Mayfield because
Shereen it's hitting the fan. The brown stuff is hitting
the fan for the Browns in Cleveland. Sorry, enjoy your
dinner.
But
what did they think? And I'm going to give them a little bit
of credit here and think that this is just part of their
strategy because I said earlier this week.
They've got a flowchart. They've got a
plan. They've got a chief strategy officer and Paul
depodesta, so they presumably have A strategy for everything,
including this Step 1. Try to get the Shawn Watson.
If that doesn't work,
you move on to step two.
I don't think step two is
tell Baker, Mayfield. You're not going to trade him.
When he
reacts the way that a reasonable person would expect
Baker Mayfield to react and say trade me. There has to be more
to this and it may just be that they're saying no
in order to maximize their leverage in any talks that they
may have with a team that may want Baker Mayfield because
you've always got to have leverage and if Don't have two
teams that want Baker, Mayfield,
your leverage comes from saying we're just going to keep him
so that maybe that look
if that's not the explanation. Then they're idiots that has to
be the explanation.
We're acting like, we're going to keep him.
So we have leverage if there's only one team
that is a viable trade partner. Because if there's only one team
and you're not going to keep him, you're not getting
anything close to what you could for Baker, Mayfield.
Well,
Mike, this makes no sense to me that a few days ago. They were
moving on from Baker, Mayfield. Regardless of, if they got
DeShaun Watson or not, and now suddenly, oh, we're going to
keep Baker Mayfield.
So that to me tells me right away that this is a ploy that
they are using that as a negotiating tactic to try to
make teams more interesting him. I cannot see him coming
back for Cleveland for multiple reasons.
And you talk about, he's
In this year, under the fifth year option.
So what do they think
that he's going to be Jimmy Garoppolo and come back for one
year and then negotiate with them or play on the franchise
tag next next year.
The, the haze out of the barn. This thing's over. This is done
Baker, Mayfield's time in, Cleveland is done. Now. It's
just a question of, where does he end up? Does he go to
Indianapolis where he
reportedly wants to play? Does he go somewhere else, but I do
think this is a ploy, Mike. To try to get more for Baker.
Mayfield then they might otherwise get as you said
perhaps there's only one team bidding on Baker
Mayfield and they need more than that.
But now you have to ask yourself.
What are the Browns going to do at quarterback? They may be
worse off than what they were last year,
you know, I hate to do this to you because I'm in a fairly
good mood today. Relative to the moods. I've been in all
week. But we do have a new sharina's. Mm.
You are taking another page from Chris Simms
because the same A
the saying is either the horses out of the barn or the haze in
the barn. Hey, out of the barn would be an amalgamation of
the two sayings and that is definitely something animals.
Now too late. That's definitely something Sims would say, so
well done. I knew it, but I said it,
it's got to be the only explanation that they're trying
to salvage any type of Leverage. Now, how stupid do
they think these other teams are
once Baker? Mayfield. See what they need Baker. Mayfield to do
is to play along and That's what they should have done.
They should have gone to him and said,
will accommodate you with a trade
if that's what you want.
But we can't make this public.
We can't get into a back and forth.
We have to act like we are together
in order to get the best possible outcome.
In other words. Do what the Seahawks did,
right? Make it look like Russell Wilson and Seattle.
We're staying together because there was only one Suitor for
Russell Wilson and you only need one Suitor. If you can
legitimately wow, negotiating the contract, take the
And of screw it. We're just going to keep him. I say all
the time,
having the desire to keep the player
is a very valuable thing to have. If you can sell it.
It's like somebody coming to your house to say, you got
a nice car out there like to buy it. Well, it's not for sale.
Well by, for 5,000, well, it's not for sale. Well, how about
6,000 was not for sale. Right? So
the more you can convince someone of that, the more you
can get is someone else really wants. I mean, it does become
that basic at some level. It is horse trading at some level.
I just think It's too late for the Brows to try to sell that
to anyone. I made the point earlier today
after Mike Garrett, follow of NFL media said that the Browns.
Are out on the DeShaun Watson sweepstakes,
but they're keeping Baker Mayfield. And they told his
agents that scouting combine that they were going to
potentially explore the possibility of getting
a high-profile quarterback. Well back on January 9, the final
Sunday, the regular season
NFL media, also reported that the
Browns plan
to enter 2022 with Baker. Mayfield is the quarterback. So
we've got the
tweet on the screen. You can't do this and expect people to
buy it. You can't put out the word in January. That you plan
to keep Baker Mayfield
then you spend two days trying to get the show on W. And then
you put out the word that you plan to keep Baker. Mayfield
you. No one's going to believe that and
maybe they're all it takes is one stupid team, I guess to
believe it, but I just think there's a better way to build
trade leverage, then to sell bullcrap
to everyone. And anyone I still think even though there are
plenty of must lie situations when it comes to the NFL and
what you're going to do about your strategy and what you're
going to say. You really should at least have some
CERN that people are going to look at you
and believe you've got
a shred of credibility. It still matters what you say
and it's baloney
that the Browns are going to go forward, Baker, Mayfield,
they're done with him and they're trying to get the best
possible trade in a clumsy kind of way.
And they can only hope that Baker Mayfield plays along
good luck with that to
mean, this is a guy that you regard as immature
and you're expecting him to behave maturely.
When you're in the process of running them out of town.
That's not happening Shireen.
Now and it's a complicated predicament for them Mike and
I don't know who they end up with at quarterback. Maybe it's
Case Keenum for a year. Who knows? But I do know that
Baker. Mayfield has played his last game with the Cleveland
Browns and way back. When you proposed a trade that I still
think I would have loved to have seen.
And that was calamari for Deshaun Watson. I would have
loved to have seen that. I'm going to throw one out here
that I thought about earlier today. How about Derek Carr for
Baker Mayfield?
Was Josh, McDaniels has expressed the love for Baker
Mayfield? I didn't think he would fit in there well, with
the Raiders and I think Dirk car would do well with
the Browns. That's to me makes a ton of sense for
those two teams to make that trade
well, and I think the Josh McDaniels would have done that
in 2018. If he was coach of the Raiders then and Baker Mayfield
had yet to give us four years of film. The problem is I think
McDaniels estimation
of
Baker. Mayfield has likely diminish. Finished based upon
what we've seen, he's got 2018 and 2020. Good Year, 2019,
horrible year last year.
Not a great year. Thanks to his own
decision to go. Try to make a tackle in week 2, after he
threw an interception. I'm not sure if I McDaniels, I'm is
smitten with Mayfield. Now when I have car who is clearly
better.
I mean, I don't, I don't hate it. But I think that there'd
have to be a lot more from Cleveland flowing to Las Vegas,
to get it done. And the Raiders are consciously taking us.
Back, you know, I've been all over the idea of the Lions
getting in on this and trying to get Baker Mayfield and have
to deal with Jared Goff scap number in his contract, but
it's not going away. And I always say, I always say,
I root for a great story and Baker Mayfield being traded by
the Browns would be a great story. But you
know what? It's an even better story.
Shireen, its Baker, Mayfield not getting traded when he
wants to get traded and being with the Browns week in and
week out and being salty and being edgy and being a pain in
the ass. And
and if
if the goal here is,
To sufficiently motivate Baker, Mayfield to go, and have
a great contract year if that's what they're doing. If this was
the shot, across the bow aimed at getting Baker, Mayfield
pointed in the right direction.
What happens
if he has a great year. What do you think he is going to sit
down and negotiate a reasonable contract with the Cleveland
Browns?
Or is he going to sit down and say, pay me or trade me? Pay me
or trade me or not even pay me. I want out. I want out. I'm out
of here,
bye-bye. I'm gone.
I just think with a guy like Baker, Mayfield, you have to
Stan who you're dealing with and you're dealing with a guy
who is emotional. You are dealing with a guy who I don't
know what, I don't know. Is it immature? I don't know.
He's a he's a different kind of a guy. He's a different kind of
a personality and you know,
you could say is a lot like Aaron Rodgers,
but the Packers deal with Aaron Rodgers. He's so damn good.
So the Browns started this
Mayfield wants to finish it
and I don't think it's going to be good for anyone
to keep this this relationship in place. Other than us. It
would be very
Be good for us because it will be a constant source of
focus by the fans
content for us and traffic and
stories and interest because it will have that
train wreck from which you can't look away. Quality.
Well in Mike, they're either looking for a quarterback this
year or if they can convince him to come back again. I don't
think that's going to happen.
But they're looking for one next year because you're right.
He's not going probably to play with them again. Having gone
through everything that he's gone through now. So
if you're the Browns,
you probably don't want unless you're gonna win a Super Bowl,
which I don't see the Browns, winning the Superbowl playing
in the AFC, where it's going to be awfully hard even to win
their division. And
it really hard to win the AFC title. So if you're the Browns,
let's say he does have a great year. Now. You're picking late
a draft. What are you gonna do
at the quarterback position? I mean, then it brings up a whole
different level of what are we going to do with the position
Beyond this year? So
a ton of questions now for the Browns who just a couple years
ago, we were talking about Ace is a young team, lot of talent
that there could go to the Super Bowl here in the next
couple years, and they just haven't
Gotten it done one playoff when
really took a step back this year and I'm sure that shoulder
injury that Baker Mayfield had surgery on affected him last
year, but nonetheless, he wasn't very good and they
weren't very good last year,
it just time to split ways and the Browns can figure out what
they're going to do in the future and Baker, Mayfield can
go play for somebody else and try to get a new start and try
to live up to those expectations of being
the number
one overall draft pick.
Seriously, what do you expect? Cleveland Browns out of Baker,
Mayfield. This year, if he plays few. What do you really
expect? How do you expect the year to go? And the problem is
Shireen the better, it goes
the greater the pressure on the Browns to keep him around
nothing like a great season will get people
to forget the offseason drama.
So I
think they can't afford to keep him around. I suspect that
the method to the madness here. Is there just Cling like it and
they're
at a certain point. If you're the other teams in the league,
you really you really are looking at the saying? Do you
do you think we're idiots? Do you think we're idiots?
We know where this stands? And we know where this is heading
and we're going to make you a fair offer
for Baker. Mayfield regardless of whether or not you're trying
to posture that you're going to keep him. So
I think that it's ridiculous and I hope they come to their
senses and I hope they trade him but not right away. Let's
smoke this for a little bit,
right? Because we got the DeShaun Watson thing that's
likely going to come to an end. Then we need another story that
will drive traffic. We all have listen. I'm a businessman here.
We want to have good stories. We don't want it to all settle
down and get
boring. We wanted to move on to Baker Mayfield and then maybe
column Uriel get stirred up and then who knows? Maybe just
maybe we can start some between Josh Allen and the bills.
I mean we can
keep this kidding about that part and obviously we're not
going to make something
out of nothing, but if something's there,
we're not going to ignore it. That's what we're here to do.
We pay attention to these stories
and if Fascinated by what's going on between Baker,
Mayfield and the brown Shereen. I assume that the average
football fan is fascinated to,
and I've got a nice, has a huge Browns fan. She don't want
Baker, Mayfield. She didn't want to show on Watson and
maybe, I don't know. Maybe that's what the Browns fans are
feeling right now. They weren't maybe all that in on DeShaun,
Watson
given the allegations that I don't know if most people have
kind of Forgotten in six days, but they definitely have soured
on Baker. Mayfield and he's contributed to it, by the way.
He's conducted himself.
Let me ask you a question. Mike your Baker, Mayfield. Let's
just do a hypothetical of the Browns, really do intend to
keep him. Okay, they're going to keep him.
If you're Baker, Mayfield at that point. What do you do? Do
you stay assume? You're going to sit out the offseason
program. Do what do you do with that point? How do you
convince the Browns that you truly do not want to play for them?
Well, the problem is the last CBA
bumped up, the fines for players who hold out. Now,
they,
they can't be waived for players who are operating under
their second contract. I think the fifth year option still
counts as part of the first contract. There are some stiff
fines if you skip preseason games in your fifth year
option. It's just it's not easy to do, you know, you can do,
you know, you can do
you, you can just say
I just work here. I'm going to punch. The clock
like everybody else.
I'm going to be here when I was supposed to be here.
I'm going to leave one practice is over.
I'm not going to show up early. I'm not going to stay late. I'm
not taking my tablet home to study film.
I am doing the absolute
minimum. Good luck. Having it. Now. Now, the problem is you
only hurting himself by doing that
see the Browns don't expect that. He's just going to have
this passive-aggressive. I don't want to be here, you
know,
not not quite Terrell Owens level. But just I'm doing
the bare minimum and I don't care
how It prepares me, or doesn't prepare me for the season.
I think it's some point.
If he is going to stay
his attitude has to be. I'm going to have the best possible
year I have so I can force the issue after the season.
I just I think these are all unacceptable outcomes for
everyone. Everyone form a field in the Browns. This is not
acceptable. This is not the kind of distraction. You
wanted. You're trying to build your program in the right
direction,
and I don't know who they get now.
Jimmy Garoppolo.
Could they get there?
Car, I don't know.
I-it's
could to get Matt Ryan, if DeShaun Watson goes to Atlanta,
or if he doesn't we're going to Pivot to that here in a second,
but I just think that
you don't start down this path without a plan and the plan
can't consists of two steps. Try to get the Sean Watson. And
if that doesn't work,
tell Baker Mayfield, He's our guy. Even if he wants out that
can't be the end. It has to be the beginning.
Yeah, he's not Jimmy Garoppolo. And this isn't that the same
thing that happened in San Francisco and he played out
his. Do I
played out the season getting Trail ants ready to take over
as the starter that, this isn't Jimmy Garoppolo in any way,
shape, or form. I truly think Baker Mayfield has got to go
somewhere else. It's better for him. It's better for the team.
The splits been made,
theoretically so move on. Let Baker Mayfield start over and
you start over trying to And your franchise quarterback yet.
Again. Mike, you think about how many quarterbacks this team
has had? They're going to be starting over again
at that position.
Yes, they will. And someone else is going to have Baker,
Mayfield. And the other thing too, is you don't want to flush
this out to the point where Mayfield acts in a way, that
completely turns another team off to him. But we know how
coaches, are
they all think that they can control a guy
that maybe wasn't properly controlled by another coach?
And that's how I'm rooting for the Lions to get Baker.
Mayfield, Sheree. And I was
Looking at the list of Lions quarterback since Bobby Lane,
they have not had a guy with Baker Mayfield's attitude and
Edge and Swagger since Bobby Lane. Maybe that's how you
finally reverse the Bobby Lane curse.
You go get another Bobby Lane and you hope that on the way
out the door, even though you don't compete head-to-head with
the Browns. They they do have a preseason classic that has
actually has a trophy but
maybe on the way out the door, Mayfield puts the curse on
the Browns not that the Browns
are new to being cursed. At least there would be
an explanation for them.
Bad. If somebody had cursed them, currently, they're just
randomly bad. They can't say, we've been cursed. Maybe
Mayfield puts the curse on him as he goes to Detroit.
Well, and I like the moves at the Lions have made and they've
upgraded their receiving Corps. DJ Chark, got him in free
agency this week. So I really like some moves that they've
made
and they may in fact have a better offense
than what the Browns have at least on paper right now. So
I you know, I like I like the moves that they make it be
a great place for him to go. It would be fun to see him
with with the kneecap biters
there in Detroit, because he would seem To fit in with Dan
Campbell in that group
and I think Campbell could control him
and I think that Campbell is large enough and imposing
enough that Mayfield would submit, you know, sometimes
it's just basic alpha male tendencies that can get a guy
under control. And if you're Baker, Mayfield
and Dan Campbell stands up
Baker, Mayfield backs off quite possibly.