After what’s been an eventful and tumultuous offseason for Baker Mayfield, the quarterback finally has a new home as the Cleveland Browns agreed to trade the former No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Browns are sending Mayfield to Carolina in return for a 2024 conditional 5th-round pick and both parties will “split the financials.”
A new QB in Carolina: The #Panthers are acquiring former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield from the #Browns for a 2024 conditional 5th-round draft pick, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Deal is pending a physical. All parties split the financials to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/xuTLqosmZm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 6, 2022
The trade ends what has been an eventful offseason for Mayfield after the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson back in March. Mayfield has made it clear the past several months that he had no plans to return to Cleveland, even if Watson were to be suspended for the entire 2022 NFL season.
Now, he officially has a new home, and there is no shortage of interesting storylines as a result.
For starters, the trade puts Mayfield on the same roster as current Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold, who was selected by the New York Jets with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft – the same draft where the Browns selected Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick. Now, the pair of top-three picks will be battling for a starting quarterback spot on the same roster while both are still on their rookie contracts.
Another major storyline is that Mayfield will not have to wait long to meet his former team on the field as the Panthers host the Browns in a Week 1 matchup on September 11.
As the NFL world got news of the trade, people had plenty to say of those storylines and more.
Carolina should go ahead and sign Josh Rosen to complete the 2018 draft top-10 QB disappointment trifecta.
Josh Allen is ineligible. https://t.co/OmeqfOz7bq
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 6, 2022
And the cherry on top of this Baker Mayfield trade:#Browns at #Panthers, Week 1.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 6, 2022
History will be made when the Browns and Panthers face off in Week 1 and both teams somehow lose. https://t.co/4J8q1m5FCz
— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) July 6, 2022
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold becoming teammates after being drafted first and third overall in 2018. pic.twitter.com/umiQXy0gJz
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) July 6, 2022
Baker Mayfield gets a second chance. We have to remember how beat up he was last year, this is a big upgrade for D.J. Moore, Christian McCaffrey and the entire Panthers offense https://t.co/FB218atga1
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) July 6, 2022
Somehow, this won't stop people from suggesting that the Browns start Baker Mayfield in place of Deshaun Watson during his suspension.
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) July 6, 2022
to get a first overall QB for a 5th-round pick — not even in the next draft … is INSANE https://t.co/iM37UNUeiw
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) July 6, 2022
So the #Panthers now have the No. 1 and No. 3 picks from the 2018 #NFLDraft on the roster. Both are QBs and both Sam Darnold & Baker Mayfield are still on their rookie contracts.
Can't imagine that's happened before.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 6, 2022
