Shaun Alexander: Baker Mayfield may not have 'higher ceiling' than Seahawks' Geno Smith, Drew Lock

In the latest update on a situation that seemingly has no resolution in sight as the summer months rapidly approach, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported for a piece published early Friday morning that a "majority" from "a straw poll of league executives, coaches and agents" believe Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (and San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo) "will likely end up being released" rather than traded before the 2022 season begins. 

Mayfield is owed a fully guaranteed $18.858 million for the final year of his rookie contract, and it's widely thought that a team willing to send anything of note to Cleveland for the 27-year-old wants his current employer to eat a huge chunk of that money. 

In his story, Graziano became the latest knowledgable individual to link Mayfield with the Seattle Seahawks. Many within the NFL community assume the 2018 first-overall draft pick would be an upgrade over Geno Smith and Drew Lock, but one Seahawks legend isn't so sure. 

Per Tim Weaver of Seahawks Wire/USA Today, former Seattle running back and one-time NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander appeared on CBS Sports' "The Zach Gelb Show" on Thursday and explained why he wouldn't part with a meaningful asset to acquire Mayfield. 

"It’s interesting because I feel like Baker Mayfield might, on paper, look a bit better than Drew or Geno," Alexander remarked. "But, I don’t know if there’s a higher ceiling for any of those three guys… If we make a trade, are we willing to lose something that doesn’t have as high of a ceiling? That’d be foolish… To lose picks or people for something with a ceiling that’s not as high, I don’t think that’s the wisest." 

As recently as Monday afternoon, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson tweeted the Browns aren't in any rush to release Mayfield even though they "are still all-in" on having Deshaun Watson serve as their starter unless he's suspended: