The Arizona Cardinals get to face quarterback Baker Mayfield for the third time in four seasons. The Carolina Panthers, whom the Cardinals face on the road in Week 4 in the regular season, acquired Mayfield in a trade on Wednesday.
The Panthers gave up a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2024 and will not have to pay his entire 2022 salary. Mayfield was due to make nearly $19 million on his fifth-year rookie option.
The Browns pay him a $10.5 million bonus to make the deal happen. The Panthers will be on the hook for almost $4.9 million in salary with another $3.5 million in incentives.
Mayfield will presumably supplant Sam Darnold as the projected starting quarterback for the Panthers, who also drafted Matt Corral in the third round this year.
The Cardinals beat Mayfield twice as a member of the Browns. In 2019, Kyler Murray’s rookie season, the Cardinals beat the Browns 38-24 behind four Kenyan Drake rushing touchdowns. Then, last season, the Cardinals blew them out 37-14 as they sacked Mayfield five times and intercepted him once.
The Cardinals have not beaten the Panthers since 2013.
Murray and Mayfield were college teammates and are friends. It will be fun to see how this Week 4 matchup turns out.
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