Baker Mayfield Traded To The Carolina Panthers

Quarterback Baker Mayfield began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns back in 2018. And it’s the only team he has starred for until now. After suggestions that things weren’t all well behind the scenes, with Mayfield often clashing with management and failing to deliver on the field, he’s found himself heading towards the exit, with a trade to the Carolina Panthers now confirmed.

The details of the trade are interesting on all fronts because if Mayfield turns out 70% of the time for the Panthers in the upcoming season, the Browns have a conditional-fifth-round choice that could well become a fourth-round pick. So it’s a deal that works for both franchises and the player, who will now undergo a physical examination with his new team.

When Mayfield arrived at Cleveland, he did so as the 2018 overall first pick. And, it’s fair to say that the twenty-seven-year-old has served the Browns well. He started all but one of sixty games, racking up a pass completion rate of over 60%, with ninety-two touchdowns thrown in for good measure. He's third on the all-time list of players covering passing yards, fourth for touchdown passes, and remains the only man to throw for 3,000 yards in four straight campaigns. 

According to reports, the Browns will be paying their former quarterback $10.5 million this season, so they are effectively saving in excess of $8 million as well as salary-cap space. And the financials for the Panthers show Mayfield will rake in $5 million as part of his base salary, with incentives thrown in to boost his potential earnings further. Again, it’s a good move all round and one that works for everyone, especially Mayfield, even though millions of dollars are being shaved off his base salary.

But, what’s arguably caught the eye of most where Mayfield’s move from the Browns to the Panthers is concerned is that the two will meet in the season opener in Charlotte on September 11. So, the race is now on for Mayfield to force his way into the starting lineup, with Sam Darnold, who is already with the Panthers, in pole position to be the number one quarterback.

Speaking about his departure from Cleveland, Mayfield suggested that “it’s been pretty obvious the mutual decision on both sides is to move on.

He added that he was “thankful for my four years in Cleveland.” 

Now that Mayfield is a player of the past at Cleveland, it’s likely that the Browns will turn to one of the trio of quarterbacks they already have on their roster. Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs will both fancy their chances, although there is still news to come where Deshaun Watson is concerned, who could also be a contender. 

And, for Mayfield, he will have to hit the ground running if he’s to prove his point when the Browns and the Panthers meet in a couple of months.