As expected, trade speculation regarding Baker Mayfield has started to ramp up with the 2022 NFL Draft just days away. The week has started with reports stating that if the Carolina Panthers try to acquire Mayfield via a trade with the Browns, it will not happen before the start of the draft, according to NFL Media.
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, is still on the Browns’ payroll as the team determines his future. Given his contract (Mayfield is due $19 million guaranteed this season after Cleveland picked up his fifth-year option), the Browns need to find a trader partner for Mayfield, preferably one who is willing to take on some of his salary.
The Panthers are one of several teams (Seattle being another) that currently does not have a clear-cut starter at quarterback. Carolina is expected to select a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. CBS Sports’ consensus mock draft has the Panthers using the pick to select former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, who this past fall led the Panthers to an ACC championship. Carolina may also choose to select former Liberty quarterback Malik Willis or former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, assuming neither player is selected before the Panthers are on the clock.
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If the Panthers are able to acquire Mayfield, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team won’t use their first-round pick on a quarterback. Similar to Mitchell Trubisky and Pittsburgh, Mayfield could serve as a bridge quarterback for whoever the team decides to draft with the No. 6 overall pick.
Carolina also has Sam Darnold on its roster. The Panthers enjoyed early success with Darnold in 2021, rolling to a 3-0 start before losing four consecutive games. Darnold, who was selected two spots after Mayfield in the 2018 draft, was later sidelined for five weeks with a shoulder injury. He finished the season with more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (nine) while failing to complete 60% of his passes.
Stability is one of the things Mayfield recently said that he is looking for as it relates to his next team. During his four seasons in Cleveland, the franchise employed three different head coaches (not including interim coach Gregg Williams in 2018) and four different offensive coordinators. Mayfield is surely looking to show what he can do at full strength after having to play through several injuries during the 2021 season.
