Baker Mayfield to the Vikings viewed as a possibility this year

As the Cleveland Browns attempt to figure out what to do with quarterback Baker Mayfield, could ending up with the Minnesota Vikings be possible?

Before becoming the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings earlier this offseason, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent the previous two years as the vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns. So it hasn’t been too surprising this offseason whenever the Vikings have been suggested as a potential landing spot for some current and former members of the Browns roster.

Most recently, Minnesota was mentioned by ESPN as a possible destination for current Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has been looking for a way out ever since the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson earlier this year.

Minnesota Vikings landing Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield doesn’t seem too realistic

This suggestion of Mayfield to the Vikings is something that came from one of the league executives, coaches, or agents that ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently spoke to. Minnesota was labeled as an “outside-the-box” suggestion along with the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions.

The reasoning for why Mayfield could end up with the Vikings doesn’t make a ton of sense, however.

Graziano suggests that Minnesota might want to bring in the Browns quarterback this year and make him their starter in 2023 if they move on from Kirk Cousins. That would have been a fine idea if the Vikings didn’t include a no-trade clause in the extension they gave Cousins earlier this year.

Trading Cousins would be the only way Minnesota could avoid enduring a dead cap hit of more than $48 million in 2023. The veteran quarterback is really the only one who will decide where he plays after the upcoming season, and unless things go terribly wrong this year, he will likely remain with the Vikings for the 2023 campaign.

If Mayfield is okay with sitting on the bench for the next two seasons, then maybe Minnesota could be a more believable landing spot for him. But as a 27-year-old former No. 1 draft picks who has started 59 games in the last four seasons, backing up Cousins for the next two years probably isn’t something he’s interested in doing.