Ian Rapoport: Baker Mayfield to the Seahawks no more than a rumor

Despite featuring in quite possibly the least endearing “will they, won’t they” offseason romance of 2022, it sounds like the reported interest of the Seattle Seahawks in embattled Cleveland Browns signal caller Baker Mayfield may be just another internet confabulation. At least that seems to be the case according to Ian Rapoport in a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee show. You can watch the clip below.

During the interview, Pat McAfee indicates that “Baker to Seattle seems like a foregone conclusion on the internet,” but Rapaport quickly clarifies that this is not true, replying that he has heard “nothing” and that the Seahawks are much more interested in seeing Geno Smith and Drew Lock compete in camp. Regarding where Baker wants to end up, Rapaport says that the trade talks may pick back up in the near future; he believes that any movement is likely to happen before the commencement of training camp.

For those interested in digging a bit deeper, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk had the following to say on the state of relations between Baker and the Browns;

“The Panthers are the other team mentioned most often as a trade destination for Mayfield, but earlier talks stalled because of how much of Mayfield’s salary the Browns would eat to facilitate a move. Mayfield was unenthusiastic last week when asked about the prospect of reconciling with the Browns in the event of a Watson suspension, although that might still wind up being the clearest path to a starting job in 2022.”

I find this interesting and somewhat relevant to the Seattle Seahawks, as the salary implications that this carries would impact any team with any level of interest in Mayfield, and it sounds like if the Cleveland Browns want to see this come to fruition they may need to budge a bit on their willingness to eat some of that salary. Regardless, if Ian Rapoport is correct, we get to see the conclusion of this narrative in the coming weeks. The date for veterans to report to NFL training camp for most teams is July 26th (including the Seattle Seahawks, as well as the Browns).

Following Rapoport’s assertions on the lack of interest by Seattle, Senior NFL Insider for CBS Sports Josina Anderson has doubled down on her assertions that the Seahawks and Mayfield are a match destined to happen.

So, the speculation can continue for a little bit longer, but at least training camp starts soon so there will be real, actual football news for fans to enjoy.