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The options continue to dwindle for the Cleveland Browns as they search for any takers in a Baker Mayfield trade. The NFL Draft seemed like the perfect time to make a move, yet he remains with the team.
Only the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers seemed like legitimate destinations even during the draft. The latter has been in more rumors as of late as Sam Darnold stands out as the starter.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, a trade to Carolina no longer makes much sense for the Panthers. A few reasons point to why that is the case.
Three reasons the Panthers should no longer trade for Baker Mayfield
#1 - Drafting a rookie
The Panthers used a third-round draft pick on Ole Miss product Matt Corral, one of the top quarterbacks in his class. The class was not the strongest, but a third-round quarterback still shows up to any franchise with loads of potential.
Corral takes up a roster spot and shows up as a legitimate contender for the starting job with Sam Darnold. Adding Mayfield to the mix means the team would have a high-priced backup in any scenario. Now, the alternative is to let Darnold and Corral compete and take a patient approach, perhaps with eyes on the 2023 class.
#2 - Waiting out the Browns
It seems clear that teams all over the NFL are not going to give in to the Browns' demands and will instead wait patiently for Mayfield to be released. The quarterback still gets nearly $19 million in salary while his new team will only owe him a minimum deal.
If a team was going to give in, a trade would have happened. The Panthers and every team understand that point. It will be more challenging to land him if he's on the open market. However, the former No. 1 overall pick will still want to go somewhere to compete for a starting job, and Carolina is one of those places.
#3 - Two fifth-year options
This reason has stood out as a primary reason to avoid Mayfield in a trade. Adding him would give Carolina two quarterbacks playing on fifth-year options. That means that no matter what, the team will have an expensive backup that has no future with the team.
And let's say Corral wins the job. Then there are two expensive backups with no future in Carolina. Fans must also remember that the Panthers did not draft either Darnold or Mayfield, so having both on fifth-year options competing for the same job would be shocking.
Signing the former No. 1 overall pick is a different story. If they can do that, both he and Darnold are fighting for a chance to redeem themselves, which is not such a financial shock.
