The Baker Mayfield era has officially come to a close in Cleveland. The Browns announced Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to send the former 1st overall draft pick from 2018 to Carolina in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick.
That 5th round selection can become a 4th if Mayfield plays over 70% of Carolina’s offensive snaps in 2022. As part of the deal, Cleveland will also be paying $10.5M of Mayfield’s salary, meaning that the Panthers are only on the hook for $4.85M next season.
“We want to thank Baker for all his contributions to the Cleveland Browns,” owners Dee and Jim Haslam said in a statement. “From the moment he was drafted, he gave his all for this organization and this city. With his fierce competitive spirit, he excited the fanbase and accomplished things that no player at his position had done in Cleveland for a very long time.”
A deal involving Mayfield was long expected amongst NFL executives following the franchise’s blockbuster deal to acquire former Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Watson, who continues to face a variety of lawsuits and allegations regarding purported sexual misconduct, could still face additional discipline from the NFL pending the findings of its independent investigation.
Despite leading the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years back in 2020, and battling through a variety of injuries last year, Cleveland made the decision to roll the dice on Watson following the 2021 campaign, effectively ending Mayfield’s time with the franchise.
After posting a career best 3.25 TD/INT ratio (26 TDs against only 8 Interceptions) in 2020, the 27 year old former Heisman winner regressed considerably in 2021. Mayfield had career lows in passing yards, TDs, 1st downs, and QBR as he navigated a laundry list of injuries including a torn labrum.
The former Sooners QB will now join a crowded quarterback room in Charlotte which also features Sam Darnold and 2022 3rd round draft pick Matt Corral out of Ole Miss. As it currently stands, Carolina has indicated that they’re happy to proceed with a QB competition and have no plans to trade Sam Darnold at the moment.
Mayfield and Darnold famously battled for the right to be the 1st overall draft pick back in 2018, and will now renew acquaintances in training camp. Since joining the league, Mayfield (56) and Darnold (52) rank 1st and 2nd respectively in interceptions thrown, with no other QB having more than 50 during that period.
If Mayfield were to win the starting QB job for Carolina, he wouldn’t need to wait long to get a shot at his former team as the Browns roll into town in Week 1 to take on the Panthers.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.