How much is too much when it comes to the Carolina Panthers and Baker Mayfield?
With the Panthers still looking to upgrade under center and the Cleveland Browns still looking to offload its disgruntled former No. 1 overall pick, a deal between the two sides seems sensible. But, as is often the case in life, it’s all about the money.
Mayfield’s fifth-year option on his rookie contract guarantees him $18.8 million for the upcoming campaign. That number isn’t exactly pretty for the Panthers, especially considering the 27-year-old’s mediocre body of work thus far and the fact that they’ll be paying another underachieving quarterback that same amount.
So, it’ll continue to be a game of give and take for Carolina and Cleveland. And, according to MMQB senior NFL reporter Albert Breer, Cleveland may be willing to give Carolina half of Mayfield’s money.
“They’re willing to take on a fair amount of Baker’s salary,” Breer said on Friday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show. “Like nine, 10 million dollars. So, like, for people out there who think that Cleveland’s holding on to Baker as Deshaun [Watson] insurance, they wouldn’t be offering to take on a pretty significant portion of the guy’s salary if they were looking to hold him until there’s more clarity in the Deshaun Watson case.
“So do I think there’s a solution to be found here where the Panthers can go get Baker Mayfield and throw him into a competition with Sam Darnold and Matt Corral? I certainly think that that solution is out there.”
We’ll see, perhaps sooner rather than later, how much that solution ultimately costs.