Panthers should have this backup plan in place if they don't land Baker Mayfield

The Carolina Panthers were once closely linked to Baker Mayfield. The Cleveland Browns have been trying to trade their former number one pick for months and Carolina was a logical landing spot. The Panthers currently have Sam Darnold and Matt Corral as the top quarterbacks on their roster.

But months have passed and nothing has materialized. In fact, recent reports indicate the Seattle Seahawks may be close to landing Mayfield. So where does that leave Carolina? There is one top backup plan in place for the franchise. Otherwise, they are in for another year of losing with Darnold leading the way.

Jimmy Garoppolo is that backup plan. At this point, it seems like a done deal that the San Francisco 49ers are going with Trey Lance as their starter in 2022. The 49ers gave up massive draft capital to take him a year ago and Garoppolo always had one foot out the door, even with all his postseason experience.

The only thing holding up a deal now is the veteran recovering from shoulder surgery. Teams like the Panthers also know they realistically have until the start of training camp to make a decision. A veteran like Garoppolo coming in to start camp would not need a major adjustment period to learn the offense.

Jimmy Garoppolo is a logical fit for the Panthers

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys

The fit makes too much sense. Carolina don't have a large chunk of their payroll committed to the quarterback position, which is an unusual situation for an NFL team. Darnold is due roughly $19 million on his fifth-year option, which is a bargain in today's NFL.

Adding Garoppolo brings up the question of what to do with Darnold. But the team can realistically just keep him around if there is zero trade interest around the NFL. Doing so also means they can shop him up through the trade deadline as injuries start to emerge around the league.

So what happens if the Panthers ignore this backup plan and roll with Darnold and Corral in 2022? That would likely spell disaster for head coach Matt Rhule, given his current 10-23 record leading the franchise.

Fans will note that he settled upon Teddy Bridgewater in 2020, only to boot him and go with Darnold in 2021. There was also the saga of cutting Cam Newton, only to bring him back last season in what ended in failure. There never seems to be a long-term plan in place, or at least one that is realistic from the start.

With regards to quarterbacks on the move, Baker Mayfield will likely be the first domino to fall as the Browns move on once and for all. After that, Garoppolo's name will be the one to watch for any team still in need of help under center.

It will be interesting to see where Garoppolo ends up in 2022.