3 winners and 3 losers from the Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL Draft

Baker Mayfield

He might not be on the Carolina Panthers, but the reason Baker Mayfield is on this list is that they decided not to trade for him and get him out of the Cleveland Browns.

The 2018 No. 1 overall pick was demoted last month when the Browns traded for controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. The Clemson product will be Cleveland’s new starter, leaving Mayfield expendable or just a very, very rich backup.

After the Watson trade, there were rumors that Mayfield was a trade candidate for the Panthers but that was put to bed fairly quickly.

On Friday, those talks reportedly started up again as Carolina was looking to work out a deal with the Browns and have them take on most of Mayfield’s salary.

With quarterbacks sliding in the draft and the Panthers originally not having another pick until the fourth round, Mayfield was a veteran option that could compete with Sam Darnold this year.

However, as mentioned earlier, Carolina decided not to make the move, trading up for Matt Corral instead.

Mayfield remains in Cleveland and the Panthers are likely not his next destination. And his options are now almost non-existent to cast further doubt on his immediate future.