Baker Mayfield found a way out of a tough situation in Cleveland, and now he has a chance to start afresh. He’s even sacrificed $3.5 million to help his cause.
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Mayfield was the Browns’ number one overall pick in 2018, and he looked like the answer to the Browns’ quarterback struggles. Cleveland has had the most starting quarterbacks in the league since 2000, and after a surprising playoff run in 2021, Mayfield seemed to answer all the Browns’ problem.
Flash forward one year, and things are very different. Cleveland opted to go all-in on Deshaun Watson, trading a bounty of picks to the Houston Texans to attain the star quarterback.
Watson’s legal situation created an awkward scenario with Mayfield. The Browns had to trade him, but they couldn’t for a long time. Eventually, they were able to flip him to the Panthers for a conditional fifth round pick.
Baker Mayfield gave up $3.5 million with the Panthers to help the team
Mayfield might not have earned the respect he deserved with the Browns, but he has a chance to turn things around in Carolina. The Panthers have had their own carousel of quarterbacks after Cam Newton’s fall from grace, and they tried out Sam Darnold last year in hopes of turning his career around.
That experiment failed quickly. Now, Mayfield and Darnold will compete for the starting job. Mayfield met with head coach Matt Rhule where they discussed altering his salary. In 2021, Baker had a $10.5 million cap hit, and the Panthers wanted to cut Mayfield’s salary by about $7 million.
In the end, the two sides reached a middle ground. Mayfield agreed to take $3.5 million pay cut to help his team build around him. However, Mayfield does have a chance to earn back that $3.5 million.
The Panthers have laid out several incentives for Mayfield, and if he can reach them, he’s set to make back all that money he agreed to let go.
Baker hasn’t been at the top of the game, and his stats last year are only marginally better than Darnold’s. However, a shoulder injury significantly limited his play last year. The 6’1″, 215 pound quarterback tried to play it through it, but he ended up hurting himself more, posting career low numbers.
Under a new regime, Mayfield can certainly turn things around. He has weapons in D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, and Christian McCaffrey, and he has the team’s backing. Carolina hasn’t had a winning season since 2017, the last time they made the playoffs.
With some good fortune and better quarterbacking, Mayfield might just do the impossible and bring Carolina back to the promise land. It won’t be easy, but there’s a chance.
