It’s not that teams all over the NFL hated Baker Mayfield because they were not trading for him.
Reality bites and most teams have better options at quarterback.
The Carolina Panthers are not one of those teams and they waited for the Mayfield situation to drag along.
With no other takers, they got him with a low-risk transaction, as shared by NFL Network insider Cameron Wolfe.
Shows the level of trade interest in Baker Mayfield across the league. Browns had to pay most of his salary and get just a Day 3 pick two years from now. CAR was patient and gets Mayfield on their terms — low $ and picks. https://t.co/u18KNBVaJV
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) July 6, 2022
Wolfe tweeted, “Shows the level of trade interest in Baker Mayfield across the league. Browns had to pay most of his salary and get just a Day 3 pick two years from now. CAR was patient and gets Mayfield on their terms — low $ and picks.”
He posted this while quoting Mike Garafolo’s breakdown of expenses for Mayfield’s 2022 salary.
His base pay was that high because the Browns picked up his fifth-year option before even signing Deshaun Watson.
All the Panthers gave up was a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft which will become a fourth-rounder if Mayfield plays 70 percent of the snaps this season.
Even if Mayfield ends up being Carolina’s starter, they will have no reservations about losing a fourth-round pick.
Likewise, they have slightly improved at quarterback while paying only $5 million.
How Much Does Mayfield Improve The Panthers?
Frankly, Mayfield does not vault the Panthers over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.
However, he does make them more respectable than if Sam Darnold was starting.
That quarterback contest is easy to predict because Mayfield has experience in leading a team to the playoffs.
Still, Panthers fans cannot get too optimistic about their team’s chances in 2022.
If they will improve from last season, it won’t be by much but just enough to keep the jobs of key front office individuals.
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