CLEVELAND, Ohio — Baker Mayfield didn’t show up for the start of the Browns voluntary offseason program on Tuesday as expected, but Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper are at club headquarters, as expected, a league source tells cleveland.com.
Mayfield, who said on the Ya Neva Know podcast released last week that he feels ‘disrespected’ by the Browns, skipped the first day of the voluntary program, which runs from now until June.
In addition to the fact that he’s on the trading block, Mayfield is still rehabbing the surgically-repaired labrum in his left non-throwing shoulder, and wasn’t expected to attend the program. A source told cleveland.com last week that of the several suitors for Mayfield, the Carolina Panthers have the best chance to trade for him, and that it could happen sometime over the next few weeks.
The Panthers, who currently have 2018 No. 3 pick Sam Darnold as their starter, have also looked into drafting one of the top college prospects such as Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis with their No. 6 pick. As of last month, the Panthers and Mayfield had “mutual disinterest” but that appears to have changed now that the quarterback carousel has stopped.
The Browns do have their QB1 on hand in the building in Watson, for whom they traded three first-round picks and more to the Texans. Coach Kevin Stefanski revealed at the NFL Annual Meeting last month that Watson would attend the program and that he was eager to have him.
Watson and other Browns trudged through the snow at the team facility in Berea for the first day of the offseason program, and it had to give Watson pause. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted at the NFL Annual Meeting last month that the Browns had to overcome weather and other issues to seal the Watson deal. But the newcomers can take heart in the fact that it will be 78 and sunny in Berea on Sunday.
This marks the first time in three seasons that Stefanski will have his offense intact at the program. His first season, the in-person program was eliminated by COVID-19, and last season, many of the offensive players skipped it at the request of center JC Tretter, the president of the NFL Players Association who’s no longer with the club and is a free agent.
Cooper, the Browns’ new No. 1 receiver, is also at team headquarters for the start of the offseason program, and will start to get acquainted with his new QB. If all goes as planned, the two will form a battery that will rival the likes of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, and Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.
Stefanski and select players will be available to the media on Wednesday, and GM Andrew Berry will conduct his pre-draft press conference on Friday. The Browns’ top pick in this year’s draft is No. 44, and they’re open to selecting any position.
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