Browns’ Haslam denies ‘adult’ at QB comment came from ownership
BEREA — Cleveland Browns coowner Jimmy Haslam denied that the comment that the team wanted “an adult” at quarterback, a factor in the deteriorating relationship with Baker Mayfield, came from ownership.
After the Browns initially met with Houston Texas quarterback Deshaun Watson, ESPN’S Chris Mortensen said he was told the Browns want “what they consider an adult” at quarterback.
That registered with Mayfield’s camp, and the first pick in the 2018 draft requested a trade the next day. On March 18, the Browns traded for Watson and gave him a five-year, $230 million guaranteed contract.
Asked if they tried to patch things up with Mayfield, Jimmy Haslam said, “Contrary to what is out there in the press, we think highly of Baker and did not get down on him. I know there is [an anonymous Browns] statement that we needed ‘an adult in the room,’ and Baker felt that came from ownership, but that is not true.
“Baker gave it everything he had while he was here. Nobody can question his effort this past year, and nobody can question the four years he gave to the city of Cleveland. We wish him nothing but the best of luck.”
The Browns did not extend the rookie contract of Mayfield and he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in Week 2 last season. Mayfield played through several injuries and appeared in 14 games before undergoing surgery on Jan. 19. Mayfield still has a year left on his deal that will pay him $18.858 million in 2022, and the Browns have yet to find a trade partner.
They traded Case Keenum and officially signed Jacoby Brissett on Friday to be Watson’s backup after agreeing to a deal with Brissett on March 19.
General manager Andrew Berry said the Browns spent what he called a “fivemonth odyssey” investigating and researching Watson, who may be suspended by the league after two grand juries in Texas declined to indict him on criminal charges. Watson did not play in 2021 after the first of 22 civil lawsuits was filed in March accusing him of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct during massage appointments.
Five months would be mid-october, but Berry said that was not when the Browns decided to replace Mayfield.
“No. That is typically the time of the year that we begin our planning for the next offseason,” Berry said. “Usually, once the trade deadline passes, you are building your free agency board and you are getting to late fall in terms of your draft process. That is a time that you will begin a lot of work on a lot of players.
“Obviously, given the complexity of Deshaun’s situation at the time, there was going to be additional work needed to make sure to vet it as thoroughly as possible. At that time, we had made no specific decisions really probably anywhere on the roster, but we were trying to make sure that we obviously had enough time to do as much research as we could.”