Report: Panthers have ‘inside track’ to trade for Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield badly needs a home, and the Carolina Panthers badly need a franchise quarterback.

Those two facts have caused the NFL rumor mill to connect the two. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Friday said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Mayfield is most likely to land in Carolina, while Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this weekend that the Panthers have the “inside track” to trade for the former No. 1 overall pick. 

While a healthy Mayfield would be an improvement at the position compared to Sam Darnold, Cam Newton and P.J. Walker — the three quarterbacks who started games for the lowly Panthers last season — trading for him may not be a popular move among the team’s players. Wide receiver Robby Anderson commented on an Instagram post with his disapproval of the potential move. 

“Nooooo,” Anderson responded on Instagram.

Mayfield being on the trade market is a 180 from where he was a year ago with the franchise. In 2020, the former Heisman Trophy winner led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since the 2002 season and their first playoff victory since the 1994 season.

But last season, Mayfield struggled through a shoulder injury to complete just 60.5% of his passes and throw 13 interceptions in 14 games. The Browns then traded for embattled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson in March, altering the NFL’s quarterback landscape and officially ending Mayfield’s time with the franchise. 

Cabot also reported that several teams aside from the Panthers are interested in Mayfield, but she didn’t name the teams. It’s unclear what a trade for Mayfield, who carries an $18.8 cap hit in 2022 before hitting free agency next winer, would cost. It would likely cost multiple draft selections, but nowhere near the three first-round picks the Browns gave up for Watson. 

Last week, Mayfield went viral for comments about how he would like to go into fans’ cubicles and boo them in response to a question about the criticism he’s received in his NFL career. He also said that he felt “disrespected” by the Browns. 

Baker Mayfield on the @ynk_podcast: “I feel disrespected — 100%. Because I was told one thing and they completely did another. That’s what I’m in the middle of right now. I’ve had 4 different head coaches in four years. A bunch of different coordinators.” pic.twitter.com/Eok9peq7Vc

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 13, 2022

“I feel disrespected 100%,” Mayfield said on the “YNK” podcast last week. “Because I was told one thing, and they completely did another. That’s what I’m in the middle of right now.”