Any Cleveland Browns fan that is getting a bit nervous that Gerald McCoy hasn't signed with the team just yet might need to take a couple of deep breaths. While there were reports, late last week, that he was enjoying his visit with the Baltimore Ravens so much that he extended it to a second day, he left that town without a contract.
Most reports indicate that McCoy is still giving the Browns a long look, thanks most likely in no small part to the fact the team has not hidden its interest in landing the defensive tackle. In fact, the franchise is now pulling out the big guns in order to try and induce him to come to down.
Baker Mayfield is said to have entered the fray and is now actively recruiting Gerald McCoy.
Mayfield looking to beef up the defense
Reports from Cleveland.com show that talk of the Browns' quarterback reaching out to McCoy is more than rumors. Baker Mayfield even admitted he had done so during his youth camp on Saturday. The quarterback has said that he is looking to get McCoy into town, just as the defensive back starts to wrap up his free agency period.
Mayfield isn't the first Cleveland offensive player to make it clear he'd like to see the defensive tackle join the squad. Odell Beckham Jr likely hasn't officially reached out, but when it became clear the Cleveland Browns could be going after the former Tampa Bay Buc, he put out a message on social media making it clear he wants him as his teammate.
On the flipside, there are some Browns' players that have made it clear they don't believe they need McCoy on the team in order to be quite a bit better than what fans have seen so far. Defensive end Myles Garrett was asked about the team's need to add defensive help and he made it clear he didn't believe they needed anyone else.
Cleveland Browns could get big news on Monday
Mary Kay Cabot is reporting that fans and future teammates alike might not have to wait too long to find out where McCoy is going to end up. The Reporter says sources have told her that the defensive tackle wants to decide soon and that it could come as soon as Monday.
At the moment, it appears to be a three-team race between the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Carolina Panthers.
The Cincinnati Bengals were thought to be in the running as well at one point but it appears they are an afterthought at this point.
Cabot also says Gerald McCoy wants to be able to make it to the next round of minicamps. If he were to sign with the Baker Mayfield's squad on Monday he could report the very next day. The Browns' next minicamp is June 4-6. The Ravens and Panthers are both having their next week, from June 11 to June 13. It's a safe bet that McCoy has been keeping himself in some kind of shape in preparation of offseason workouts with his new team. The Cleveland Browns will just hope he chooses them tomorrow and they can get rolling with their new defender.