Baker Mayfield talks between Browns, Panthers collapse
After two days of temporary commerce talks, the Carolina Panthers formally took themselves out of the Baker Mayfield pursuit on Friday. Now the Cleveland Browns are forging forward on a path that might preserve Mayfield on the roster for for much longer than anticipated.
The Panthers and Browns had some discussions about Mayfield on Thursday and Friday, however the two sides by no means fairly obtained into the identical zip code on a deal. Sources from the 2 groups stated talks broke down over a spread of things, from mismatched commerce belongings, the ultimate break up of Mayfield’s $18.8 million wage, and at one level, a complication with Mayfield’s contract which wanted to be reworked and authorized by the NFL earlier than any commerce might have been consummated.
In reality, even when it seemed like a deal was getting traction on Friday, it by no means even obtained shut sufficient for either side to align commerce belongings — principally centered round draft picks — not to mention dig very deep into how Mayfield’s assured cash would have been divided. By the early night, one supply concerned within the talks termed any hope of a deal “useless.” A short while later, the Panthers traded into the third spherical to draft Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.
Curiously, Carolina had executed a major quantity of labor on Corral within the pre-draft course of and was monitoring him throughout the entirety of Friday’s draft. As soon as Corral slipped into the third spherical and talks with the Browns had damaged off, the Panthers started working the telephones to discover a commerce associate so they may transfer into place to pick him.
Carolina choosing Corral put the Browns again onto a monitor of endurance — which now could stretch by way of the remainder of the offseason and probably into subsequent season.
That’s one of many dwindling choices Cleveland has to embrace, given the dearth of curiosity in Mayfield from the few remaining quarterback-needy groups. Because it stands, the Browns have little motivation to launch him, since his wage is already assured for 2022 and there’s nonetheless a looming NFL investigation over Deshaun Watson. Mayfield additionally has little motivation to purchase his means off the roster, which might probably take him lowering his wage considerably after which hoping to make a number of the cash up in a miniature free company earlier than coaching camp.
However there’s no indication that different groups would step up and provide Mayfield a beginning job at this level. Particularly after the conclusion of a draft and free company, which has given most groups a large number of different choices as they transfer forward. If Mayfield is in search of an ironclad shot at a beginning job, his pursuits would possibly really align with Cleveland’s at this stage — ready till one other NFL crew wants an skilled starter, for no matter motive. However that additionally would imply that Mayfield and the Browns transfer forward collectively from this level on, ready for the chance to current itself.
It was there briefly with the Panthers, even when the 2 sides by no means actually obtained into life like commerce territory. Now it’s gone, and the Browns have to determine what comes subsequent. And that’s beginning to seem like the identical path of watching and ready and hoping for one thing that is sensible for everybody.
