Texans Have Surprising New Stance on Baker Mayfield Trade

The Houston Texans appeared poised to move forward with second-year pro Davis Mills at quarterback after sending Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns. Houston could've taken back fellow disgruntled QB Baker Mayfield in that deal, but the Texans were reportedly uninterested at that time.

It appears Houston's thoughts on Mayfield have changed, though.

Baker Mayfield Texans

The Athletic NFL insider Jeff Howe relayed some insight on the current QB trade market after the first round of the NFL Draft. Howe reports the Texans' stance on trading for Mayfield has "changed" after Cleveland has shown it will cover some of the former No. 1 pick's 2022 salary.

"Notably, at the time of the Watson trade, the Browns wanted to see if another team would take Mayfield’s entire contract. Now that it’s become apparent the Browns must consume a portion of Mayfield’s contract, the Texans might consider that type of deal."

- Jeff Howe, The Athletic

This is a huge development that adds plenty of intrigue to any already busy offseason in Houston. Any team should consider a chance to upgrade at the most important position when it's presented, and Mayfield has shown flashes of being a top-15 QB. That makes exploring a deal, especially with the Browns covering some of the bill, a smart choice.

Mills performed decently well considering the circumstances in 2021. He recorded 2,664 yards, 16 TDs and 10 INTs along with a 66.8% completion percentage across 13 games.

Mayfield, meanwhile, has racked up at least 3,000 yards in each of his first four seasons. His 2020 campaign was a highlight, as he recorded 26 TDs to just 8 INTs while starting 16 games.

With 11 picks still in their back pocket heading into Day 2 of the draft, the Texans certainly have assets at their disposal to pull off a Mayfield deal.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.