GM Andrew Berry: Browns 'were transparent' with representatives for Baker Mayfield

During a podcast episode that was released last week, former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Baker Mayfield remarked he felt "disrespected" by all that occurred involving his employer landing star signal-caller Deshaun Watson via a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans in March. 

Mayfield's words followed a report claiming that Browns officials and individuals representing the 2018 first overall draft pick met at the NFL Scouting Combine weeks before the Watson trade and that the club confirmed its "plans to start (Mayfield) in 2022 and not replace him with a veteran" during that discussion. However, Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry seemed to paint a different picture regarding the subject when speaking with reporters Friday. 

"I think I’ve touched on this previously, that we were transparent with our intentions with [Mayfield’s] reps," Berry explained, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Now, that being said, I think we can all understand how Baker feels. And sometimes things in the NFL — whether it’s team-related, coach-related, player-related — they may not work out. And Baker’s a competitive and driven young man who’s had success as a quarterback and will continue to have success as a quarterback. So, definitely understand it."

Mayfield and his fully guaranteed salary of $18.858 million for 2022 continue to be attached to the Browns, and there's a belief in some NFL circles that teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting to see if Cleveland will cut the 27-year-old if no trade for his services materializes before, during or after the draft that opens this coming Thursday night. 

"I think quite honestly anything regarding speculation on the future, several months out, that’s probably unfair because we realize that circumstances in the NFL change and quite honestly my focus has been on the draft next week, just because we’re inside of a week," Berry said of Mayfield's future status with Cleveland, per Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. "And all those kind of larger roster issues, things that may surface over the next five, six, seven months, (will) shift my focus after that."