4 players that didn’t live up to the hype during Carolina Panthers tenure
By Dean Jones
Baker Mayfield - Former Carolina Panthers QB
With Matt Rhule under severe pressure, the troubled head coach made one final trade in an attempt to save his job. This time Baker Mayfield was the savior chosen by the Carolina Panthers despite moving up to acquire Matt Corral in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Mayfield was put in an unnecessary competition at training camp with Sam Darnold. This denied the former Oklahoma star of valuable reps to build chemistry when time was of the essence - another flawed decision that contributed to the coach losing his job after a humiliating Week 5 loss against the San Francisco 49ers.
This wasn't an ideal situation for Mayfield and he couldn't overcome these significant hurdles. His 74.4 passer rating was a career-low and after failing to perform against the Baltimore Ravens, the Panthers cut him loose with very little fanfare attached.
The No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft found a new home quickly when the Los Angeles Rams came calling. While his performances weren't perfect, Mayfield showed enough to get a one-year deal from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that could be worth $8.5 million.
It's the last chance saloon for Mayfield. Unless he lives up to the hype this time around, he'll be looking at backup duties or worse for the remainder of his professional career.