The Panthers officially named QB Baker Mayfield their starter. This was expected since Carolina swung a trade for Mayfield in early July. He started the preseason opener over QB Sam Darnold, going 4-of-7 for 45 yards on 1 series. Mayfield is just a lower-end QB2 for fantasy squads, but we expect him to be an upgrade over Darnold for RB Christian McCaffrey, WR D.J. Moore and the rest of the Panthers offense.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted Friday that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold “are still in a QB battle” for the starting job. Mayfield is believed to be the heavy favorite, but HC Matt Rhule hasn’t announced who’ll get the Week 1 nod vs. Cleveland.
The Panthers have announced that QB Baker Mayfield will start Saturday's preseason opener. This doesn't necessarily mean he's THE starter, but it sure seems like a signal that Mayfield holds at least a slight lead over incumbent Sam Darnold. And it comes less than a week after Ian Rapoport reported that Mayfield has the "inside track" to the gig. Mayfield is certainly our bet in this competition, and he's still going late enough to be a value in best-ball and superflex drafts.
Panthers OC Ben McAdoo said Tuesday that rookie QB Matt Corral is "slowly and quietly improving," according to Darin Gantt of the team website. "He has a unique skill set," the coach added. "He has some juice to him, personality wise." The trade for QB Baker Mayfield likely killed any shot Corral might have had at starting early in his rookie year. And this sounds like a coach offering measured optimism. Corral still makes for an interesting dynasty stash, with neither Mayfield nor Sam Darnold signed beyond this season.
QB Baker Mayfield has the "inside track" for the Panthers' starting job, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Mayfield and QB Sam Darnold have been splitting reps in camp, and that's expected to continue in the preseason, per Rapoport. "Based on the understanding [Mayfield] has of this offense, based on the kind of plays he can make, the kind of command he's already getting inside this locker room, it certainly does seem like it's Baker Mayfield's job to win," Rapoport says. We've projected Mayfield as Carolina's starter since the trade was made back in early July. Mayfield is just a low-end QB2 but should be an upgrade for RB Christian McCaffrey, WR D.J. Moore and the rest of the Panthers' skill-position guys.
Joseph Person of The Athletic reports that the Panthers continue to alternate QB Baker Mayfield with QB Sam Darnold in 1st-team workouts at training camp. HC Matt Rhule says he'll let the competition play out rather than anointing anyone. Person writes, "My expectation is that it will be Mayfield -- and nothing from the first seven practices has changed my mind." He adds that Mayfield has looked more comfortable in the 2nd week of camp than he did the 1st, though he also says Darnold has "looked sharp." We'll continue assuming that Mayfield wins out but will watch for confirmation.
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer called the team’s QB situation “an open competition” on Tuesday. As such, Fitterer anticipates the reps being divvied up “fairly evenly” at the start of training camp. While competition might be a point of emphasis, Baker Mayfield enters camp as the clear favorite to start Week 1 over Sam Darnold. Current QB projections have the former Brown slated for 15 games.
The Browns are trading QB Baker Mayfield to the Panthers for a conditional 5th-round pick in 2024, NFL Network reports. The 2 teams "split the financials to make it happen," according to Ian Rapoport, so Carolina is presumably picking up about half of Mayfield's nearly $19 million 2022 cap hit. Mayfield is coming off a disappointing, injury-riddled 2021 season but played well the previous year, finishing 10th among 32 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. In fact, Mayfield earned higher PFF passing grades in each of his first 3 NFL seasons than QB Sam Darnold has managed in any of his 4 NFL seasons. So Mayfield is a tangible upgrade for D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall and Christian McCaffrey. Mayfield himself looks like just a middling QB2, although those weapons give him some weekly upside. Check out the updated projections for the Panthers offense.
Update: Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Mayfield agreed to shave about $3.5 million off his 2022 salary. The Browns will pay him $10.5 million this year; the Panthers around $5 million.
Speaking at his youth football camp, Browns QB Baker Mayfield confirmed that he plans to play elsewhere in 2022. “I think it’s been pretty obvious the mutual decision on both sides is to move on,” Mayfield said. Cleveland would be the best spot to rehab his real-life value, especially with Deshaun Watson likely to get a lengthy suspension. But it’s been clear for weeks that such a scenario won’t play out. It’s only a matter of time before the Browns either release Mayfield or unload him to Seattle, Carolina or another team.
CBS' Josina Anderson reports that the Seahawks "still have high-level interest" in Baker Mayfield and are even open to extending his contract. With training camp now about a month away, we should be nearing movement on this front. Carolina has also reportedly remained in the hunt.
Speaking at minicamp, Panthers HC Matt Rhule indicated that QB Matt Corral isn’t close to earning the starting job. “He has a good spirit, a good demeanor about him when he walks in the building. And I think he understands there’s no timetable for him,” Rhule said Tuesday. “I think he has that sense of urgency when he works. I respect the way he works. But he has a lot to learn. A lot to learn.” None of this should be shocking — it’s June, and Corral’s a Round 3 rookie. Still, with Sam Darnold running with the starters and Carolina reportedly very interested in Baker Mayfield, Corral’s path to year 1 snaps looks rough. He’s a dynasty-only stash for now.
CBS' Jonathan Jones reports that the Browns and Panthers are involved in trade talks "surrounding" QB Baker Mayfield. Jones reports that there's "urgency" for Carolina to make a move early enough to get Mayfield some minicamp reps with the team. He adds that the Panthers' offer is the best Cleveland has gotten and that the primary sticking point is how much of Mayfield's 2022 salary the Browns would pay. The QB is in the 5th and final year of his rookie contract and will likely face a "prove it" year, with unrestricted free agency ahead in March 2023. He makes obvious sense for Carolina, which currently sports Sam Darnold and Matt Corral as the top 2 options. And the relationship between Mayfield and the Browns looks finished. Mayfield hasn't proved to be a high-upside fantasy QB through 4 seasons, but the Panthers would set him up with nice pass-catching talent -- led by D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey. Stacking him with 1 or both players in best-ball tournament lineups now would be a low-risk, high-upside move.
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