Carolina Panthers: Baker Mayfield is the New Sheriff in Town

After weeks of speculation, the Cleveland Browns finally found a trade for Baker Mayfield. What’s next for the Carolina Panthers after trading for the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft?

The Baker Mayfield saga in Cleveland is over at long last. Wednesday afternoon the tumultuous feud came to a merciful end. The Carolina Panthers sent a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Cleveland, receiving the former No. 1 overall pick in exchange. This has the potential to become a fourth-round pick if Mayfield hits his performance escalators. Reports state that the quarterback willingly took a $3.5 million pay cut to make sure this move went through. The Browns will still pay $10.5 million of Mayfield’s base salary, while the Panthers pick up $5 million of the tab.

This is the second offseason in a row that the Panthers have traded for a top-three pick from the 2018 NFL Draft. Last year they sent three total picks to the New York Jets for Sam Darnold. It’s safe to say that the Darnold experiment failed in Carolina, as he was lost more times than not behind center. Today, the Panthers traded another pick (albeit only a day-three selection) in hopes that Mayfield will provide the stability they’ve lacked since Matt Rhule took over.

A lot of resources have been used to bring in Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, but let’s not forget rookie Matt Corral. The team traded the No. 137 overall pick, as well as a third-round pick in 2023, to jump up and take Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral at No. 94 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. If we tally everything up, it has cost the team: a second, a third, two fourths, a conditional fifth, and a sixth-round pick for Darnold, Mayfield, and Corral. Sheesh. That seems like an overpay of epic proportion, but who cares about all that if the answer at quarterback is on the roster? Nobody.

Is Baker Mayfield that answer? After an injury-riddled 2021 season that saw him play through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, Mayfield’s stock hit an all-time low. Yes, it’s impossible to deny how poorly he played last season. However, when you look back at his breakout 2020 season, there’s a glimmer of hope that shines through the despair. Mayfield led the Browns to their first 11-win season and playoff victory since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999. He completed nearly 63% of his passes, posting a more-than-respectable 26:8 TD:INT ratio.

Baker Mayfield is the New Sheriff in Carolina. What’s Next for the Panthers?

So, how can Mayfield replicate that success in Carolina? The offense should be much improved in 2022, assuming that his offensive weapons are healthy — which is a big assumption considering Christian McCaffery’s long injury history. Let’s just imagine for a minute, though. McCaffery, DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson and Terrace Marshall Jr. provide a myriad of weapons, with CMC and Moore proving to be one of the best at their respective positions in the league. Their 2022 first-round draft pick, Ikem Ekwonu, is now in charge of the blind side on Carolina’s offensive line. He is an immediate upgrade over any player that spent time at left tackle for the Panthers in 2022.

With the overhaul on offense, all eyes will be pointed towards the defensive side of the ball. With young pillars like Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn and Jaycee Horn, the building blocks are there. They would benefit greatly if two former top-ten picks could realize their true potential. Derrick Brown and CJ Henderson have been underwhelming as professionals, given their lofty draft status, but they were drafted that high for a reason. Donte Jackson, Shaq Thompson and Matt Ioannidis are adequate veteran players that round out a strong unit on paper.

Ultimately, as most things do in the NFL, the team’s success is going to come down to health and quarterback play. If the roster stays healthy, and Baker Mayfield can regain his 2020 form, there’s a lot of optimism here. The NFC is the weakest it’s been in a very long time, with only the Rams, Buccaneers, and Packers viewed as locks for the postseason. Can the Panthers, behind the strength of their new quarterback, claim one of those three wildcard spots? We are only two months away from finding out. At minimum, they’re closer to contending today than they were yesterday.