Baker Mayfield was instantly benched by Steve Wilks in his first game as Panthers head Coach. Will the Panthers give Baker another go?
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There was a time when Baker Mayfield was the number one overall pick in a draft that had modern day superstars like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. The talented quarterback actually did perform well for the Cleveland Browns for the first few seasons.
However, it seems like the man has really lost his mojo with time as since the past couple of years, Mayfield’s performances have gone from bad to worse.
After a disastrous 2021-22 season, it was clear that the Browns were all set to trade him which is exactly what happened. He went to the Carolina Panthers while the Browns went all out to rope in Deshaun Watson.
Everyone felt that by making a thumping comeback, Baker will make the Browns regret their move. Moreover, Deshaun’s 11 game suspension made the idea sound even more plausible.
However, all the hopes of Panthers fans came crashing down as soon as Baker took the field in his first game of the season. After a couple of close defeats in the first two games, the Panthers were able to register a win against the Raiders. However, the Baker-led unit then went on to lose two games in a row and that too by huge margins.
Also Read: What Happened To Cam Akers? Will The Rams Running Back Play Against The Panthers?
Panthers Might Have Ran Out of Patience With Baker Mayfield
Mayfield hasn’t been able to score more than one touchdown in any of the games this season. Moreover, after 4 loses in 5 games, the Panthers decided to take a few drastic measures and fired head coach Matt Rhule.
Steve Wilks was appointed as the interim head of the Carolina-based franchise. After his appointment, the first big step he took was to bench Baker Mayfield.
Steve tried Philip Walker and Jacob Eason against the Rams instead of Baker. It didn’t really make much of a difference as the Panthers faced a crushing defeat yet again. However, what happened in the game is a clear indicator of what the team now feels about Baker.
Innumerable NFL fans on Twitter have opined that the Panthers should trade Baker Mayfield as soon as they find a taker. Many even suggested that the team should just cut Baker Mayfield and rethink their strategy.
Amidst all this, it would be fair to say that Mayfield’s future looks to be in jeopardy. Moreover, Baker made it absolutely clear that he wanted a trade out of Cleveland as soon as he got to know that the team was chasing Deshaun Watson. If Baker loses patience yet again, this time with the Panthers after he was benched, he might consider moving on to another franchise.
However, judging by the way he has played this year, he probably won’t find many takers.
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