Baker Mayfield to Colts rumors draw mixed reactions

One day after Baker Mayfield was told by the Cleveland Browns that they would not honor his trade request, things have changed.

What changed is that the Browns not only acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, but signed him to a long extension. With that, Mayfield is back on the trade block. On Friday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network named the Indianapolis Colts as a likely destination.

“They are expected to trade Baker Mayfield,” Rapoport said. “My understanding is that the Indianapolis Colts are a prime location for him. Not that anything is done just yet. But it’s clear the Colts need a quarterback.”

Of course, Mayfield isn’t the only quarterback on the market. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is also likely to be traded and has even been linked to the Colts. But given that Garoppolo is coming off of surgery, Rapoport added that the Colts “are not moving on that right now” adding that there’s “nothing imminent there.”

The Colts make sense as the leading candidate for Mayfield. They aren’t the only team looking for a quarterback. But the others are the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints. None of those teams are as close to winning as the Colts are and with the possible exception of the Saints, none are close.

The thought of Mayfield going to the Colts brought a mixed reaction.

Some in the NFL world feel it would be a good move.

Others aren’t so convinced.

If we’ve learned nothing else about the NFL this offseason, it’s that things change and change fast. With that in mind, keeping a close eye on the Mayfield situation and the quarterback carousel in general would be well-advised.

[Ian Rapoport]