BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett said Wednesday that former Browns starting quarterback Baker Mayfield is going to “land on his feet,” in the wake of Cleveland’s trade for its new quarterback, Deshaun Watson.
Garrett also said that he won’t be the “judge” or “jury” regarding allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct during massage sessions that have been made against Watson.
Garrett and Mayfield had played four seasons together in Cleveland, beginning in 2018 when Mayfield went No. 1 overall in the draft, one year after Garrett too was selected with the top overall pick. In 2020, the Browns advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. But after Mayfield struggled last season while playing through a torn labrum to his non-throwing left shoulder, the Browns changed their plans at quarterback and traded for Watson in March. Mayfield remains on the Browns roster, as the team works to find a trade partner for him, complicated by his almost $19 million fully guaranteed salary for the 2022 season.
“People come and go, and this is one of those changes,” Garrett said of Mayfield, who has not attended Cleveland’s OTAs so far. “I hope the best for him. I hope he moves on and he does well for himself. … He’s played well when he’s healthy. When he’s healthy, he can do some pretty good things for a team. Just has to find his niche again. I think he has to prove himself, has to get healthy.”
On Tuesday, a 23rd woman filed a lawsuit against Watson. She alleges in the lawsuit that Watson exposed himself to her, touched the woman between the legs and “repeatedly requested” her to have sex with him during a massage appointment. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement later Tuesday that his client “vehemently denies the allegations” of sexual misconduct.
Two grand juries in Texas have declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson, who has denied all wrongdoing. The NFL is investigating whether Watson violated its code of conduct policy and interviewed the quarterback in person two weeks ago as part of its investigation.
When asked about the allegations against Watson, Garrett called them “none of my business,” before being pressed whether Watson’s character mattered to him.
“It does. But I don’t know what happened,” Garrett answered. “You don’t know what happened. No one in this room really knows what happened, other than the people that were involved. I can’t move one way or another based on hearsay. So I just move with the character and the man I know from day to day. And that’s a good guy from what I’ve seen.”