Baker Mayfield traded to Panthers: Winners, losers in deal that sends former No.

There is a new quarterback in Carolina. On Wednesday, the Panthers acquired former No. 1 overall pick, Baker Mayfield, in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones confirms. Carolina will ship a conditional fifth-round pick to the Browns that can turn into a fourth depending on Mayfield’s playing time. 

While this trade is simply between two teams, it will have a domino effect that will stretch well beyond Cleveland and Carolina. Below, we’ll cover all the winners and losers that have come out of the latest trade in the NFL.

Winner: Baker Mayfield

The ultimate winner in all this is Baker Mayfield. He’d previously requested a trade out of Cleveland as the team landed Deshaun Watson earlier this offseason and now he gets his wish. For a minute, it did seem like there was a possibility (however slim) where the Browns wouldn’t trade Mayfield and hope they mend the fence in the event that Watson is handed a massive suspension for his off-the-field issues. However, this deal now eliminates the possibility of an awkward/forced reconciliation.

Not only does Mayfield get out of Cleveland, but he also lands with a Panthers team that has some intriguing weapons including running back Christian McCaffrey and wideout D.J. Moore, to go along with a sturdy offensive line that features 2022 first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle.  

Financially, Mayfield did agree to trim $3.5 million off of his base salary to help facilitate that trade, but he can earn that money back in incentives, per the NFL Network. So, Mayfield finds himself out of Cleveland and into a situation where he’ll be the Week 1 starter without having to take on much financial risk. It’s a win all the way around for the former No. 1 overall pick. 

Loser: Cleveland Browns

There is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Browns’ situation under center. The NFL was pushing for Watson to face an indefinite suspension of at least one season. If disciplinary officer Sue. L. Robinson rules that way, Cleveland’s ceiling at the quarterback position will drastically fall. With Mayfield gone, Jacoby Brissett would be the clear-cut option to start if Watson is suspended. While it may have been an uphill battle to try and reconcile with Mayfield, he does have experience in Kevin Stefanski’s offense and would be the better option of the two for the Browns to be competitive in Watson’s absence. 

Meanwhile, a fifth-round pick that could turn into a fourth is hardly an earth-shattering return. The Browns are also reportedly paying the chunk of Mayfield’s contract for 2022. Per the NFL Network, Cleveland is shelling out $10.5 million of Mayfield’s deal, while the Panthers will pay him $5 million.

Despite clearing some cap space and ridding itself of a player that requested a trade, Cleveland is currently very exposed if the hammer is dropped on Watson over the next few days/weeks. 

Winner: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers improved at quarterback and it didn’t cost much to do so. As we noted above, the Browns are paying the bulk of Mayfield’s contract and Carolina only needed to send a conditional fifth-rounder for the former No. 1 overall pick. 

While Mayfield has had some ups and downs throughout his four-year career, he is arguably the best quarterback that the Panthers have brought in since Cam Newton’s first stint with the team came to an end following the 2019 season. Both Mayfield and Sam Darnold — the club’s 2021 starter — came into the league in 2018, but Mayfield has enjoyed more success. For their careers, Mayfield’s 87.8 passer rating is much better than Darnold’s 76.9 passer rating. With that talent increase, Mayfield’s presence should improve the overall ceiling for Carolina’s offense.

Again, getting better at the most important position in the sport and doing so at such a low cost makes this a no-brainer move for the Panthers. 

The underrated piece to this deal is the repercussions it will have across the NFL and specifically the NFC West. 

The Seattle Seahawks were one of the teams that were pegged as a potential landing spot for Mayfield after they traded…