Will the Browns trade for a veteran QB this offseason, or is Baker Mayfield the future in Cleveland? | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab discuss the possibility of the Browns making a deal for a big name quarterback this offseason. Will there be a new signal caller in Cleveland in the next two years or will the Baker stay in the kitchen? Hear the full conversation on the You Pod to Win the Game podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES ROBINSON: All right, let's get into some Browns questions. @NickFantana. Is it reasonable to expect the Browns to pull off a trade for a veteran quarterback this offseason? He's thinking Rodgers, Wilson, maybe Carr, Derek Carr. Do I think it's realistic? I'll start there. I don't think it's realistic that Deshaun Watson-- let's say everything clears up for Deshaun Watson, right, or gets resolved, whatever you want to call it. I don't know Deshaun Watson would ever go to Cleveland, honestly.
FRANK SCHWAB: That's the thing. Yeah, he'd have to wait it. He's ain't waiving it for Cleveland.
CHARLES ROBINSON: It's very hard to believe he would waive it for Cleveland. I don't think Cleveland would be Aaron Rodgers' first destination. Denver really, truly believed they were gonna have a shot at Aaron Rodgers. I think they would be interested again if Aaron Rodgers made it clear after the season was over, OK, yeah, that's it. I'm out. I'm dipping. Let's get something done. I think Denver would want to be a part of that.
I do think that Russell Wilson could be sold on Cleveland. I don't think that that's-- would I say that that's Russ's first destination? No. Especially if Aaron Rodgers were to leave Green Bay, I'm sure there would be a lot of Packers fans that would say, please, go get Russell Wilson and bring this guy back to Wisconsin. First, though, we got to see how it plays out with Baker. As I've said all along, the best possible scenario for the Browns is that Baker clicks into place, gets on track, and makes their life easier by not forcing some kind of insane offseason where they're going back and forth. What do you think?
FRANK SCHWAB: Look, we talk about this a lot, and it's fun to talk about, and that's why we do it. And the ramifications of a Matthew Stafford moving are just so big in the NFL. The reality of it is most quarterbacks don't move. Teams are really, really reluctant to give up a quarterback if they got a good one, even if they got a mediocre one.
And I've said this often. In the free agency era, basically dating back to '93, the only quarterback who was of prime age, who was healthy, who was reasonably good, and the team didn't have a backup plan involved, the only guy like that to hit free agency ever was Kirk Cousins. That's it.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: And he got overpaid like crazy. We all know that.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Who has had the better quarterback situation since Kirk Cousins left Washington for Minnesota? Minnesota or Washington? Pretty damn clear who's had the best quarterback situation between those two franchises.
FRANK SCHWAB: Right.
CHARLES ROBINSON: It's freaking Minnesota, OK? wah_3rd-- W-A-H underscore 3rd-- asks a similar question. Who's gonna be the Browns quarterback in 2023? Let's just say 2022. Because at this point, if you're gonna go to 2023, you might as well just start at 2022.
FRANK SCHWAB: I'll say Baker Mayfield. I think they're gonna resign him.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I think it'll be Baker Mayfield because they're already paying him his fifth-year option. I don't think--
FRANK SCHWAB: OK, then 2023 like--
CHARLES ROBINSON: '23.
FRANK SCHWAB: --the original listener said. I still think the answer is Baker.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I think the percentage is higher Baker than not, OK? I will say that. Because as you said, it is not easy to do this quarterback swap that the Rams did, OK?
FRANK SCHWAB: It's very hard to put that together, yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: But let's wait and see. Let's just wait and see. Because, remember, last summer, we kept looking at each other going, geez, this is different. What the hell is going on? This is different. Maybe that's just the beginning of a trend. Maybe it'll become a little easier than we think.
