"My sense is that it can be as early as Friday" - NFL analyst on possible timeline for Baker Mayfield to be traded away

Baker Mayfield's time as a member of the Cleveland Browns may be coming to an end sooner than you think. That's at least according to one NFL insider.

Mike Tannenbaum of ESPN's "Get Up" is of the belief that the former Heisman Trophy winner could be traded away by the franchise in the very near future.

Tannenbaum can envision a scenario in which a team such as the Carolina Panthers offers a lower-round draft pick to acquire Baker Mayfield very soon. If that were to happen, it would benefit both teams, especially with the NFL Draft just a week away.

He said:

"My sense is that it can be as early as Friday during the day. So, let's just take Carolina, a very likely landing spot for Baker Mayfield. I could see on Friday a trade being made, let's say for a fifth-round pick in 2023. And then the negotiation really brings this over, how much does Cleveland eat of that $18 million?"

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Will Baker Mayfield be a starter for a team next season?

Detroit Lions v Cleveland Browns

For Baker Mayfield to be a starter next season, he would need to move to a team that is in need of a starting quarterback. The NFL offseason saw several teams fill vacancies at the quarterback position.

The Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson while the Washington Commanders brought in Carson Wentz. The Indianapolis Colts, meanwhile, traded for former NFL MVP Matt Ryan.

The New Orleans Saints re-signed Jameis Winston to a two-year deal. Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers were able to bring back their legendary signal callers in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, respectively.

With most teams solidified at the position, which teams are still searching for a starting quarterback for 2022?

As previously mentioned, the Carolina Panthers are still stuck in neutral with Sam Darnold returning. In his first season with the team in 2021, Darnold was less than spectacular. This led to the team signing their former franchise quarterback, Cam Newton, to join the team and take over at the position.

When that experiment failed, the team opted to return to Darnold and that is where things currently stand. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were the first and third selections in the 2018 NFL Draft, respectively.

Despite his limitations and failures with the Browns, Mayfield has had a profoundly better career than Darnold. He led the Browns to a playoff win against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers to advance to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs in the 2020 season.

The Seattle Seahawks are another team that could use a quality starting quarterback. They currently have Drew Lock, Jacob Eason and Geno Smith on the roster.

If the former University of Oklahoma standout is to land a starting job in 2022, it would most likely be with one of those franchises.