Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stepanski said Monday that he is optimistic that the ongoing story between the team and General Baker Mayfield could be resolved soon. “I think we will see,” Stepanski said at the NFL owners’ meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. “I think everyone understands the situation. We hope that at some point it will close.” His comments come as Mayfield remained on the Browns’s roster on Monday, about 10 days after the team traded with former Houston Texans general Deshaun Watson, who agreed on a five-year, $ 230 million contract. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE AT FOXNEWS.COM Cleveland Browns general Baker Mayfield (6) warms up before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, January 3, 2022 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar) Mayfield has been the Browns’ general since his rookie season, after the team selected him No. 1 in the 2018 NFL Draft. This month, Mayfield thanked Cleveland fans in a social media message and guaranteed full A base salary of 18.858 million in 2022 is likely to affect trade efforts. On Monday, Stefanski described the situation as “unique.” “We have to see how it goes,” said the coach. “I think we would all like an answer yesterday, but that is not the reality.” Stefanski said he expects Watson – who is still facing 22 lawsuits for sexual assault – to be fully involved in the Browns out-of-season program starting April 18. Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry, left, new general Deshaun Watson, center-back and head coach Kevin Stefanski pose for a photo during a press conference at the NFL football training facility, Friday, March 25, 2022, in Berea Ohio. (AP Photo / Ron Schwane) He said that the team welcomed Watson despite the problems he had off the field and the coach noted that he will try to make sure that these issues do not distract the team. “I think this is important for our players, our coaches and our building in general,” Stefanski was quoted as saying by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “We understand that there are questions and we will continue to have this dialogue. But at the end of the day, we also have our job to do. We need to focus on that.… You need to be present and where your feet are. She it will really be our approach to everything “. The Browns received reactions from the fans after Watson was hired and the coach said that the team tried to “understand everyone’s point of view”. NFL EXEC BLASTS DESHAUN WATSON’S NEW CONTRACT WITH BROWNS “I just want to make sure that I am available in our building to everyone to talk to because it is not something that was taken lightly,” the coach added. “It’s very important. I wanted to make sure everyone understood that this was something that took weeks, months, weeks of intelligence gathering, discussions and debates. It’s not something we could take lightly.” Cleveland Browns general Baker Mayfield walks into the locker room after the Browns beat the Detroit Lions 13-10 in an NFL football game on Sunday, November 21, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo / David Richard) Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury last season as he started in 14 games and shot for just 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns, the lowest totals of his career. CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION In 2020, Mayfield led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, making 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight steals.
