Browns to meet with Deshaun Watson as a trade revolving around the Texans quarterback looms, per report

Baker Mayfield is entering the final year of his contract

The Cleveland Browns have thrown their hat into the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. According to Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson, the organization has been granted permission to speak with the Texans quarterback on Tuesday and will look to convince him on their vision in hopes of potentially striking a trade with Houston to land the three-time Pro Bowler. 

Cleveland joins the likes of the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, who are also vying for Watson's services. Those two clubs have reportedly already sent in their offers to Houston and have also booked some one-on-one time with the quarterback. Wilson also adds in his report that New Orleans -- which met with Watson on Monday -- is regarded as the potential leader to land Watson at this stage. Meanwhile, Carolina is said to have made an aggressive sales pitch to Watson as well. 

CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones characterizes this situation as a three-horse race between the Browns, Panthers, and Saints that should reach the finish line either Tuesday or Wednesday. With Watson possessing a no-trade clause, any deal would need to be approved by him. 

Watson's market has opened up in recent days following the news that a grand jury will not indict him on allegations of sexual misconduct. Those allegations contributed to Watson -- who originally asked for a trade out of Houston following the 2020 season -- being sidelined by the Texans throughout the 2021 campaign. Now that his legal troubles are largely in the rearview mirror, teams will be more open to meeting Houston's reportedly lofty asking price that is headlined by three first-round picks. 

As it relates to the Browns, they are reaching a fork in the road with current quarterback Baker Mayfield. The former No. 1 overall pick is entering the final year of his contract and is due $18.85 million in base salary for the 2022 campaign. Thus far, he hasn't progressed to the level that the team has hoped he would at this point in his career. As a starter, Mayfield is 29-30 in the regular season and has completed 61.6% of his passes. Last season, the Browns were 6-8 in his 14 starts where he averaged a career-low 215 passing yards. 

Cleveland has reportedly fielded some trade calls for the Mayfield this offseason, so there could be a change under center coming in some capacity.