The “will they or won’t they” between the Carolina Panthers and Baker Mayfield is entering Rachel Greene and Ross Gellar levels of longevity. So can they just get it over with already?!?
Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Doug Kyed is of that belief, as he advocated for a trade of the Cleveland Browns quarterback to Charlotte. As his “one trade or free agent acquisition before training camp” for the Panthers, Kyed believes the former No. 1 overall pick could give the franchise a brighter outlook in 2022 than what they currently have.
“It’s unclear what the Panthers would do with Sam Darnold if they acquire Mayfield, but trading for the Browns’ discontent quarterback would give Carolina a much higher ceiling this season,” Kyed writes. “Mayfield struggled through injuries in 2021 but put together an 87.5 overall offensive grade through his first three NFL seasons. He deserves a starting role somewhere, and Carolina, Cleveland and the Seattle Seahawks represent his best options.”
There’s no doubt Mayfield is a much more proven commodity than Carolina’s projected starter and fellow 2018 draftee in Darnold. Stats only tell a part of the story, but Mayfield has trumped Darnold in almost every single number you can find.
Save for a four-interception difference in Sam’s favor, Baker has him beat in completion percentage (61.1 to 59.8), passing yards (14,125 to 10,624), touchdowns (92 to 54) and passer rating (87.8 to 76.9)—just to name a few.
How close, though, are the Panthers to making room for the disgruntled passer? According to a recent report from FOX Charlotte’s Will Kunkel, not that far.
As Kunkel tweeted out last week, the team is “no closer to a deal” for either Mayfield or San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo. And as it stands now, they may be a few million dollars off.
We’ll see if the Panthers will be there for you, Baker, when the rain starts to pour.
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