The Carolina Panthers are moving on from their quarterback traded only five months agoSince Baker Mayfield releases on Monday, per nfl media. The report was confirmed CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones. Mayfield will be exempt.
The Panthers sent the Cleveland Browns a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for Mayfield. The fifth-round pick could have converted to a fourth-round pick based on playing time, but with him gone, that won’t happen. Mayfield was supposed to be fully guaranteed $18.85 million in the final year of his rookie contract.Browns agree to pay Mayfield $10.5 million in 2022, and the Panthers agreed to pay about $5 million. Mayfield also reportedly agreed to take a salary cut of about $3.5 million to facilitate the move.
Mayfield started the year at quarterback, but a high ankle sprain in Week 5 knocked him out of the starting lineup. He went 1-5 as a starter for Carolina, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions in seven total games. The Panthers will start with Sam Darnold at quarterback and PJ Walker as backup.
It’s been a crazy year for the former No. 1 overall pick. Mayfield went from being the Browns quarterback about to sign a new deal to requesting a trade that same year. He then had a chance to show the Panthers that he could be a legitimate starter, but he was released just seven games into his tenure at Carolina.
Per CBS Sports Cap Expert Joel Corry, Mayfield will receive $1,349,445 in waived claims, and the Houston Texans will prioritize claiming him. It will be interesting to see where Mayfield can go. The Texans are certainly an option, but so are the San Francisco 49ers, who just lost starter Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending foot injury. The 49ers are in a perfect position for the playoffs, but given how late it is in the year, maybe Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch will finally ditch Mayfield and roll with a young Brock Purdy who knows their system. Either way, Mayfield is available and looking for his next NFL home.
