The Facts: If the Panthers and Seahawks are waiting for the Browns to cut Mayfield so they can get him on the cheap, they better not hold their breath. The Browns have no plans to cut Mayfield, even if he’s still on the roster at the start of training camp in July, a league source tells cleveland.com.

Diehards Line: With Mayfield under contract for a fully-guaranteed $18.86 million, it makes no sense for the Browns to cut him and take the entire hit. They’ll subtract whatever he makes from his next team from that amount, but it wouldn’t make much of a dent. The Browns would be better off hanging onto Mayfield and seeing if a team is willing to take a sizable chunk of that salary off their hands in the event of a QB injury before the trade deadline, or the realization that their starter isn’t cutting it. The Charlotte Observer reported this week that trade talks between the Browns and Panthers during draft weekend fell through because the Panthers wanted the Browns to pay $13 million to $14 million of Mayfield’s salary. But there are many ways to structure the trade, and if the Panthers remain interested, the two sides can find a way to get it done. The draft pick compensation will be directly tied to the amount of the salary picked up. The problem is, there doesn’t seem to be organizational consensus in Carolina over Mayfield. Some are much higher on him than others, which has been an issue, a source said. If they were all on the same page and all in, they could have him on the roster in time for their mandatory minicamp June 14-16 — same as the Browns. The Panthers might also become more interested in Mayfield as their OTAs progress and they get a better handle on Sam Darnold and rookie Matt Corral. They’ve left the door open to acquiring another veteran, and haven’t slammed it shut on Mayfield. ... As for the Seahawks, one of Mayfield’s biggest advocates in the building, former Browns personnel exec Alonzo Highsmith, left Seattle last week to take over as General Manager of Football Operations for the University of Miami, his alma mater. Highsmith was Senior Executive Advisor to Seahawks GM John Schneider. It doesn’t necessarily mean the Seahawks will be less interested in Mayfield, but they also don’t want to pay much of the $18.86 million. One source told cleveland.com that the Seahawks, who have Geno Smith and Drew Lock on their roster, would sign Mayfield if the Browns cut him. ... Stay tuned.