"It’s easy to see why it would make no sense" - NFL insider explains why Panthers have no interest in Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield may find himself on the outside looking in when it comes to finding a home as a starter in 2022. The Carolina Panthers were initially rumored to be in the hunt for a starting quarterback.
They were abyssmal in the 2021-2022 NFL season, to say the least. Despite starting the season 3-0, the team quickly regressed and ended the season with a record of 5-12.
After treading through quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Cam Newton and P.J. Walker in 2021, the team is now looking to, perhaps, start again with a new signal caller next season.
But according to NFL Insider Albert Breer, the Carolina Panthers have legitimate reasons for to why they are not pursuing current Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield:
"(Speaking of the Panthers), their reluctance on Baker Mayfield, which we mentioned in this week’s mailbag, is pretty easy to explain—taking a swing on him wouldn’t be all that different than the swing they just took on Darnold. Because of the Darnold deal, the Panthers are without their second- and fourth-round picks this year, and lost their sixth-rounder last year. Add to that the guaranteed $18.858 million fifth-year option Mayfield carries with him this year—same as Darnold’s option—and it’s easy to see why it would make no sense for Carolina."
Mayfield has become expendable as the team has signed former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson to become the team's signal caller for the present and the future.
Deshaun Watson gets a fully guaranteed 5 year $230M contract. That is $80M more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing ($150M). This deal was negotiated by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. twitter.com/RapSheet/statu…
The Browns gave Watson a ground-breaking five-year, $230 million guaranteed contract. Just days ago, a second grand jury failed to indict Watson on criminal charges of allegations of sexual assault.
What team will Baker Mayfield play with in 2022?
Even days before the Cleveland Browns decided to sign Deshaun Watson, rumors were flying that the then-Houston Texans quarterback may be in play to be the next signal caller for the franchise.
The former University of Oklahoma standout took to Twitter to release a statement at the time which read as a goodbye and a thank you letter all rolled into one (you can read the entire statement here).
With many uncertainties, here is where my head and heart is. https://t.co/psipN96cmh
Mayfield has also stated that he feels as if his time with the organization is done and that it's in the interests of both parties to go their separate ways. But several teams that entered the NFL offseason needing a signal caller have filled those vacancies.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have all filled formerly vacant quarterback positions.
Which team will the Browns' 2018 first overall draft pick find himself playing with in 2022? Stay tuned as more information becomes available on the former Heisman Trophy winner's destination for next season.