3 ways the Browns ruined the trade market for Baker Mayfield

The Cleveland Browns are stuck with Baker Mayfield at the moment. Based on the past several months, it is easy to see why this is happening. The Browns openly tanked the quarterback's trade value and are now shocked teams won't make a deal.

Mayfield is owed roughly $19 million in 2022, which is cheap given the current market. However, no one is getting desperate yet. So how did the team cause this predicament in the first place? Why is it their fault as an organization?

Here are three ways the Browns ruined the Baker Mayfield market:

Cleveland Browns Introduce Quarterback Deshaun Watson

#3 - Losing all their leverage

The Browns moved on from Mayfield by going after and ultimately landing Deshaun Watson. Yet they were not done there. They also signed Jacoby Brissett as the backup and Joshua Dobbs as the third-string player.

That removed any shot of trying to keep Mayfield around as a backup to Watson. Teams all over the NFL know the Browns need to trade their former No.1 overall pick. There is no alternative. That removes all of Cleveland's leverage if they want a favorable deal. Teams around the league can just wait them out and hand over their offers, hoping for the best.

Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens

#2 - Trashing him to the media

One infamous comment about Mayfield is haunting the Browns. This is the leaked report of the team saying he wasn't an "adult" who could lead the franchise. This came around the time that Cleveland were close to landing Watson.

The Browns openly trashed him and his trade value suffered. If they don't think he's an adult, why would anyone else? Whoever leaked that comment may not have realized what they were doing but it has backfired in a major way. Teams want a mature leader who is talented on the field.

Arizona Cardinals v Cleveland Browns

#1 - Letting him play hurt in 2021

The 2021 season was an epic disaster for Cleveland and their quarterback. He injured his shoulder in Week 2 and was hurt again a few weeks later. Anyone watching could plainly see he was laboring on the field. Yet for some reason, they let him play.

To his credit, he played hurt and didn't want to come out, but players nearly always act like this. He took hit after hit and at times looked like he would have to come off. This is where you listen to your medical staff and take control. At some point, it was up to the team to bench him, but they never did. They let him play through his injury and it did not go well.

The Browns recently revealed they were looking into Watson during the 2021 season. Letting Mayfield play through injury not only risked his body, but his performances while injured damaged his trade value.

In a way, his regression helped the team find a reason to move on. Yet it has only made things more difficult and has led to an ugly situation for the former franchise favorite. Cleveland will be looking to move their out-of-favor quarterback as soon as possible and focus on the new season.

After finishing 8-9 last season, the Browns made some big moves in the offseason. They are optimistic of winning the AFC North this year and pushing deep into the playoffs. They have the talent, but they don't need distractions. Baker Mayfield is one distraction they want to be without.