Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold may have officially entered the NFL within minutes of one another, but there isn’t room for the both of them with the Carolina Panthers . . . at least as far as money goes.
Confirming a few details from Saturday’s report by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, The Athletic‘s Joseph Person tweeted on Easter morning that the Panthers would have some details to iron out before attempting a trade for Mayfield. Not only is the 2018 No. 1 overall pick still one of a few options for Carolina, per Person, but the Cleveland Browns would have to meet them somewhere in the middle for salary cap relief.
Like Darnold, Mayfield heads into the 2022 campaign ready to play under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. Both options are worth $18,858,000—a potentially hefty burden for the Panthers to carry for two, at least to this point, underwhelming performers under center.
Being that the Browns went all in on Deshaun Watson and gave him everything under the sun, they’d presumably be inclined to rid themselves of Mayfield—to clear up additional cash for themselves as well as clear out any lingering drama from the fallout. That would, obviously, include taking on a portion of Mayfield’s upcoming salary to lighten the load on Carolina.
So, even though general manager Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule may be angling for yet another retread, at least they’ll have some kind of leverage in doing so.
