Baker Mayfield Has Been Traded To The Carolina Panthers
According to Ian Rapoport, the Cleveland Browns have traded quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers. In return, the Browns will receive a 2024 conditional fifth-round draft pick. Mayfield’s remaining 2022 salary will be split between the Panthers and Browns. The trade is pending a physical.
Per Mike Garafolo, the salary split will result in the Browns paying Mayfield $10.5 million this season. This will save the team over $8 million in cash and salary-cap space. Meanwhile, the Panthers will pay $5 million of Mayfield’s salary. Mayfield agreed to take a $3.5 million pay cut in the deal.
This offseason has been eventful for the quarterback rooms in Cleveland and Carolina. Earlier this offseason, the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson. This resulted in Mayfield requesting a trade, as he believed he and the Browns were “ready to move on”. With Watson’s suspension still yet to be determined, the Browns will start Jacoby Brissett who they signed this offseason.
For the most part, Brissett has been a backup, but he does have experience starting. With the Colts, Brissett started 15 games in 2019 and threw for 2,942 and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions.
Mayfield will be joining Sam Darnold and Matt Corral as the quarterbacks in Carolina. Last year, in eleven starts, Darnold threw for 2,527 yards and 9 touchdowns, but he threw 13 interceptions. This prompted the Panthers to select Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. The starting role in Carolina will be a competition between Darnold and Mayfield. It seems like Mayfield has a good shot at landing the starting job as Carolina, and it’s unlikely that the Panthers would have made this trade with the intention of Mayfield becoming the starter. Meanwhile, Corral has looked good in minicamp, but it would be a shock if he started week one.
Mayfield did not have a tremendous 2021 season, and that is what prompted the Browns to add Watson. Mayfield threw for 3,010 yards with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. For the Browns, this resulted in an 8-9 record, which was not good enough to make the playoffs. However, there are reports that he was playing injured, but it is unclear how badly this affected his play.
