It has been a long NFL offseason for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield after the team made the surprising move to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
That move from Cleveland caused Mayfield to request a trade from the organization. Since then, the trail has pretty much gone cold on the trade market for the former 2018 first overall draft pick.
There have been a few teams that have expressed potential interest in Mayfield. The Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers have long been the top potential options to bring in a veteran quarterback. And now, one of those teams may be emerging as his ultimate destination for next season.
CBS’ Jonathan Jones reported Tuesday that talks are continuing between the Browns and Panthers, and added that there is “urgency on Carolina’s side” to make a trade for Mayfield soon as NFL minicamps begin to kick off around the league.
As far as how close both teams are at finishing a trade, that will apparently depend on how much of Mayfield’s salary the Panthers would take on in a deal.
The Panthers have already expressed that this is the main concern in a Baker Mayfield trade, and the Browns may need to take the majority of that salary in any potential trade to make it work for both sides.
Carolina currently has Sam Darnold and rookie quarterback Matt Corral in their quarterback room. Unless they think Corral is ready to take over the reins, Mayfield appears to be an immediate upgrade over Darnold for the short-term success of the team. Last year, Mayfield completed 60.5 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns with 13 interceptions while battling injuries that limited him to 14 games. Meanwhile, Darnold completed 59.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,527 yards and nine touchdowns with 13 interceptions across 12 games (11 starts).
Considering there were some out there that thought the Browns would have to release Mayfield, they should jump at the possibility of any potential trade option.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.