After an awkward offseason, the Cleveland Browns have agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield, a former first-round pick, spent the entirety of his NFL career with Cleveland since being selected with the first-overall pick in 2018.
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
Trade News: Baker Mayfield Going to Carolina Panthers
The beginning of the end of Mayfield’s tenure in Cleveland came when the Browns brought in quarterback Deshaun Watson for a meeting. This move clearly showed that Cleveland did not view Mayfield as the long-term answer under center, thus making a trade inevitable. After news of the meeting broke, Mayfield released a statement thanking the fans of Cleveland while acknowledging that his future was uncertain.
Mayfield is coming off of a season to forget in 2021. Starting and appearing in 14 games, the quarterback completed 60.5% of his passes for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while guiding the Browns to a 6-8 record. Of course, a large portion of this underwhelming season can be blamed on his shoulder. Mayfield suffered a serious shoulder injury early in the season and decided to try and play through it. Following the season, the quarterback underwent surgery to fix the issue.
Baker Mayfield originally entered the league as the first-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Selected by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield began his career behind veteran Tyrod Taylor. However, after Taylor suffered an injury early in the season, Mayfield took the starting job and never looked back. As a rookie, the quarterback completed 63.8% of his passes for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Following a lackluster 2019, Mayfield guided the Browns to the playoffs in 2020. Starting all 16 games, the quarterback completed 62.8% of his passes for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Cleveland won their first playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers before losing a nailbiter to the eventual AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
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