raleigh-panther

Posted for those who dint have observer access Baker Mayfield’s trade to Carolina Panthers can be missing link to playoff berth BY SCOTT FOWLER [email protected] 4 hours ago Quarterback Baker Mayfield being traded to the Panthers — the rumor that finally became reality on Wednesday — may not work. It might fail miserably. But it’s sure worth a try, especially given the relatively small price the Panthers paid for what is a one-year rental at the NFL’s most important position. It even has a chance of being the move that pushes Carolina to a playoff berth, if the new offensive line is as good as advertised and the defense plays as well as it should. Mayfield will instantly become the most dynamic QB quarterback the Panthers have employed since Cam Newton. When you’re Carolina and you get a chance to take that sort of shot, you have to, even though this is very much a short-term gamble and not a long-term fix. Mayfield, like Sam Darnold, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. Acquiring Mayfield three weeks before training camp starts is the sort of bold/desperate move made by a GM in Scott Fitterer and a coach in Matt Rhule who are acting like their jobs depend on their 2022 record. And that’s appropriate, because they do. We all know Panthers owner David Tepper is fine with pulling the plug on anything he doesn’t think is going well. The now-defunct Rock Hill training facility and formerCharlotte FC coach Miguel Angel Ramirez, axed less than halfway through the team’s inaugural season, are just two recent examples. And although Tepper has preached patience with the Panthers, Rhule has gone 5-11 and 5-12 in his two seasons in Charlotte and is on the hot seat. This year has to work, or else someone big will go. Likely two someones — both Fitterer and Rhule, and Rhule is likely on the shorter leash. There’s no “Wait ‘til next year” right now for the Panthers, because no one knows who’s going to be around next year, other than Carolina’s long-suffering fans, Sir Purr and the Sam Mills statue. Mayfield cost Carolina only a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 and $4.858 million in 2022 salary-cap room, with Cleveland picking up $10.5 million of Mayfield’s original 2022 contract and Mayfield agreeing to forgo another $3.5 million to get the deal done. The deal will be completed only when Mayfield passes his physical Thursday afternoon, but there aren’t expected to be any problems there. If Mayfield plays roughly 70% of Carolina’s offensive snaps in 2022, the 2024 draft pick Carolina sent to Cleveland becomes a fourth-rounder instead of a fifth, a source with direct knowledge of the deal said. The three sides — Cleveland, Carolina and the Mayfield camp — were about a million dollars apart over the past week, and all three compromised at the end to get the financial part done. The capital expended by the Panthers was cheap for a starting QB, which is certainly what Mayfield should be. His ascension to first-teamer may not occur before the suddenly symbolic Browns/Panthers season opener in Charlotte on Sept. 11, given the head start Sam Darnold has in learning the system of new Carolina offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. But it’s inevitable. Darnold has been worse in just about every statistical way than Mayfield since the two joined the league in 2018 (Mayfield as the No. 1 pick, Darnold as No. 3), and you don’t trade for Baker Mayfield to let him sit on the bench for long. The Panthers can call this a competition all they want; Mayfield will eventually earn the job, one way or another. But there are also no plans to trade Darnold. Deshaun Watson v. Baker Mayfield Mayfield wanted out of Cleveland, of course, because the Browns made the morally repugnant decision to trade for QB Deshaun Watson and then give him the most player-friendly contract in NFL history, despite the fact the NFL seems likely to suspend Watson for a long time due to his inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. The Panthers tried hard to get Watson, too, which was also morally repugnant. But at least they’ve ended up on the better side of this deal, with the player Watson replaced instead of Watson himself. I guessed wrongly that the flirtation with Mayfield would never reach the marriage stage for the Panthers, but here we are. By September, a crowded Panthers QB room will likely be winnowed down to Mayfield, Darnold and rookie third-round draft pick Matt Corral, who probably won’t see a regular-season snap this season given the sudden influx of veteran talent. And that’s fine. This was supposed to be a developmental year for Corral anyway. Maybe he starts in 2024 — the Panthers assured Corral Wednesday that he is their “long-term future” at quarterback. Corral constituted one swing at the QB position, but Carolina needed to take another. No NFL team goes far without solving the QB quadratic equation, and the Panthers haven’t come close since Cam Newton had his last good full year in 2017. That was also the last year the Panthers made the playoffs; they’ve gone 22-43 since. Rhule has never come close to getting it fixed. This was a good move for Carolina, in the same way it’s smart to order two items on a menu if you can afford it; you’re hungry and you’re not at all sure about the first thing you ordered (in this case, Darnold). McAdoo ripped Mayfield in 2018 Carolina’s QB situation hasn’t looked right since Newton got hit helmet-first in the throwing shoulder by Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt midway through the 2018 season and it all went south. Since then, the Panthers have started luminaries like Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater and P.J. Walker, Darnold and Newton 2.0 (batteries and long throws not included). And while they’ve all had some moments, none of them have won consistently. Mayfield didn’t win consistently in Cleveland, either, but he won a lot more than Darnold did with the New York Jets and Carolina. His star power isn’t that important, but it won’t hurt for a Carolina franchise that struggles to keep its own fans in their own seats. Mayfield’s relationship with McAdoo will be worth watching. In 2018, McAdoo told the New York Post he thought Mayfield was the sixth-best QB in the draft. Among his comments were these: “I didn’t see a lot of pro-style football in his college tape. And if you’re short (Mayfield is listed at 6-foot-1), you have to be able to make up for it some way, somehow, and personality doesn’t do that. I didn’t think he was a great athlete. This guy is kinda like a pocket quarterback that is short and with small hands, that’s what I worry about.’’ Four years later, McAdoo and Mayfield will try to revitalize their own careers, as well as Rhule’s and the Panthers franchise as a whole. No pressure there, right? But again, it’s worth trying. The Panthers have said all sorts of nice things about Darnold in the offseason, but they obviously don’t trust him enough to hand him the keys. Mayfield is coming. And if nothing else, life as a Panther fan just got a lot more fun.

Well. I know how you feel at this point, though, give Baker a chance. He has at least been on the big stage in NCAA and NFL and won on it the Tepper and Rhule bromance is going to continue so it’s either accept it or leave it No power to change it I am going to enjoy the NFL and NCAa Seasons as much as humanly possible my days of mood altering Sundays based on the Panthers are over. I hope they don’t look ridiculous. If they do, they do only going to two games this season. Selling the rest. One is the opener. Just praying to god Baker, not Darnold, is the starter

Rhule is a buffoon a rich buffoon this year he has a much better coaching staff …two former NFl coaches The GM is coming into his own Whether he did these things in his own or was told, we will never know Not sure about the defensive staff. snow’s defense, I read somewhere, was #31 getting off the field on 3rd down fixing that would help the win column as well ..who knows …tougher schedule …teams that know how to score i am not as big on snow as others best case, Carolina is it’s usual 8 and 9 for the season and Rhule opts to ride off to the next NCAA school that wants to over pay him

Exactly as I understand it, he had three OCs in three years. He played hurt to try and help his team ..not just the shoulder this is his prove it year who knows if he is the answer With this organization, having competent would be a step up Just get the ball to the play makers That’s his job I’m all for giving him a chance anything in god’s name will be better then watching Sam Darnold crying on the side lines There is no crying I’m the alpha world if the nfl

Baker is here at a fair price I wish him every good thing as he takes the field $4.85 million is what the Panthers are paying for Baker plus a 5th rd

Just sharing a piece by an Observer author that most on here respect that is behind a paywall Personally do not care

The Panthers should trade for Browns’ Baker Mayfield sooner than later. Here’s why BY ELLIS L. WILLIAMS [email protected] 1 day ago It’s time for the Carolina Panthers to trade for Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Training camp is five weeks away. If the Panthers are going to add a veteran, which neither coach Matt Rhule nor general manager Scott Fitterer has ruled out, Mayfield and the team would benefit from placing a Ben McAdoo playbook in Mayfield’s lap as soon as possible. There should also be newfound urgency from Carolina after recent reports suggest Seattle is still highly interested in acquiring the former 2018 No. 1 pick. Behind the scenes, not much has changed between Carolina and Cleveland. The Charlotte Observer reported in April, and again in May, that the Panthers want the Browns to take on the majority of Mayfield’s contract in a trade. There is still about a $4.5 million gap between Carolina and Cleveland as the Browns are willing to pay up to half of Mayfield’s fully-guaranteed $18.9 million. The Browns are seeking a mid-to-late round pick for Mayfield according to a league source. That value is based on what Cleveland would receive for him via a compensatory pick. Though highly unlikely, the Browns could hold Mayfield out this season — pay him to not show up to practice or games — then he’d sign as a free agent elsewhere next spring, earning Cleveland a compensatory pick. Mayfield will not play another snap for the Browns regardless of how embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson’s looming suspension rules. Even if the league suspends him indefinitely, or for a season, do not expect Mayfield to fill in, even if it makes sense on paper. Tough QB situation Both Carolina and Seattle could use Mayfield. Seattle’s quarterback room features Drew Lock, an up-and-down thrower entering his fourth season, and veteran Geno Smith who hasn’t started double-digit games since 2014. Carolina’s quarterback situation is not much better. The team drafted Matt Corral, but he’s being integrated slowly with no expectation to be the Week 1 starter. Sam Darnold, who Rhule said would start if the team had games to play in June, has a career record of 17-32. Compared to Mayfield’s 29-30 career record, Darnold is not nearly the winner Mayfield is. Darnold’s best season came in 2019. He threw for 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He posted a 45.6 QBR that season and a career-best 6.9 yards per attempt. Last season, Darnold reverted to his New York self, throwing nine touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a league-worse 33.2 QBR. Excuses can be (and are) made for Darnold: He’s had five different offensive coordinators in as many seasons, and has never been sacked fewer than 30 times in a year. Mayfield has endured similar hardships. His next offensive coordinator will also be his fifth. In 2019 and 2021, Mayfield was sacked 40 or more times. Yet in 2019, he posted 3,827 passing yards, a career-high. Mayfield’s career-worst seasons are comparable to Darnold’s best years. The case for Baker Mayfield In 2020 Mayfield posted career bests in interceptions (8), QBR (65.5), and yards per attempt (7.7). A closer look reveals he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league over his last six games of the 2020 season. Mayfield threw for 1,713 yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, and a 103.4 rating. The Browns went 4-2 before beating the Steelers on wild-card weekend, giving Cleveland its first postseason victory since 1993. To put those numbers in perspective, project them over 16 games and it translates to 4,568 yards, which would have ranked fifth in the league. His rating over that time would have ranked ninth. Pro Football Focus graded only Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes higher than Mayfield during that stretch. Six games are not enough of a sample size to define Mayfield as a top 15 quarterback, but after the 2020 season, many around the league were. He’s been chasing those highs ever since, even while playing through a torn labrum in 2021 which he suffered while trying to make a tackle in Week 2. Mayfield supporters argue his 2020 self is representative of who is: a quarterback capable of leading an offense to the playoffs while protecting the football and capitalizing on explosive plays. Because of injury, he never got the opportunity to build upon his 2020 momentum. Instead, he regressed, lost confidence, and the Browns moved on with Watson. Both the resume and eye test reveal Mayfield (who is fully recovered from off-season labrum surgery) is a better quarterback than Darnold. If not Mayfield, who? Mayfield is not the only veteran available. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who is owed $26.9 million in 2022 if San Francisco does not cut him, is on target to start throwing soon after having successful right shoulder surgery in March. Garoppolo will be 31 years old in November. He provides both unquestioned maturity and consistency compared to the 27-year-old Mayfield or 25-year-old Darnold. But there are concerns within the Panthers about Garoppolo’s injury history. During his five years in San Francisco, Garoppolo missed 35 games, including two games last year that were unrelated to his offseason shoulder surgery. Garoppolo dealt with ankle, calf, and thumb injuries all year before hurting his shoulder in the playoffs. He started five games in 2017, three in 2018, and six in 2020. In 2019 and 2021 he started 16 and 15 games, respectively. What good is acquiring a quarterback who isn’t routinely available? In contrast, Mayfield has only missed two games over his four-year career, both last season when the Browns dropped out of playoff contention and he was shut down to focus on healing his shoulder. Yet, most evaluators prefer Garoppolo to Mayfield when asked. “I like Garoppolo. I think he’s become somewhat underrated. He’s been productive,” former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum told The Charlotte Observer. “That’s the guy I would go after. If they can get him then I think they’ve improved themselves at the position.” Garoppolo has a career completion percentage of 68%, while Mayfield completes 61% of his passes. They have nearly identical touchdown and interception percentages around 4.6% and 2.8%, respectively. Garoppolo’s career yards per attempt (8.4) are more than a yard greater than Mayfield’s 7.3 yards-per-attempt average. Despite positive reviews from OTAs and minicamp, both Garoppolo and Mayfield provide Carolina an upgrade at quarterback. Because of Garoppolo’s injury history, Mayfield is the safer option. It’s time Carolina finds a way to acquire Mayfield before another team beats them to it.

I loved Artie grieing up in Fredericksburg, Va…either followed the Baltimore Colts or the wretched Redskins Artie was an old school, tough guy…stand up guy. Loved him

Per Adam Schfeter

Teams win, typically, on the HC and QB tandem in the new NFL Rhule plus Sam equals ? im hoping for at least competent given the NFL coaches on staff …that hope is good as it gets

And, that is probably why ole Sam is doing so well……..

The thought of an opening game mayfield vs Watson At least it would be interesting

You and I have a similar background and in IT Delivery Management, I best have a very strong bullshit meter… …and I think you hit my issue with the guy, besides not knowing what he is doing, my bullshit meter with him, never, ever shuts off . Ever I just don’t know what anyone in the nfl sees in this guy…not even sure about ncaa, I mean it’s not like he was lights out there either He and Tepper ruined something I loved. Life goes on and there are greater tragedies in life…but they sure knew how to ruin a good thing

I know, right I spend part of the year on the West coast and have Sunday ticket to watch the games when I’m out here. 10am is just too early on a Sunday morning for a sports bar

That’s probably why JR called him back the second time….he did know Most likely Gettleman knew too as did Ron, things like that don’t stay quiet in a small workplace I sometimes wonder with JR if it was old age dementia or if he had always been a lecherous piece of crap

Thanks. I guess we will never know what goes on behind close doors but probably our only hope for a non embarrassing season is that the more Nfl experienced staff helps

Not sure what point you are trying to make with this

Well you know, I’ve had great experiences in the stadium with my friends. Sometimes, it’s about that too and not just the team but grant you, a pro team led by the likes Weinke. Clausen, Darnold, and dead armed Jake, pretty hard to take I have no regrets as watching Steve smith, Luke, Cam, Sam Mills back in the day, and all the great players from other teams is pretty priceless Mistake I made was thinking Rhule was going to draft a qb last year never in my wildest dreams did I think I would wake up to Sam Darnold ‘you pay your money and take your chances ‘ as the old quote goes

Yeah. They send out surveys game day has taken a nose dive with covid, Rhule, Tepper magic etc

Well, I’m in section 342 and usually the opposite is true, the giveaways and all those things seldom come from the 300 level I mean, hey, I like to have fun too. Winning games at home would help lol

Exactly right

Yep. No argument there I have two more seasons left past this one so that should be attractive to someone who wants to try it and not be tied to it forever. I’m selling individual tickets this year on Ticketmaster By end of this year, some other priorities will clear and I’ll deal with the license older I get, one major thing at a time lol

Received in my email today …putting the body in Post if a PSL owner is interested and didn’t get the email, msg me and I’ll provide the rest of it they are trying I guess The Carolina Panthers are excited to launch a new benefit for PSL Owners! We are looking for PSL Owners to participate as inaugural members of the PSL Owner Advisory Team. In collaboration with Panthers front-office personnel, the Advisory Team will help tackle issues related to the year-round fan experience. Advisory Team discussions can include topics such as game day operations, database marketing, PSL Owner benefits and the in-stadium fan experience. Are you interested in joining the Advisory Team? The application period is now open for the inaugural 2022 class. Apply at the link below!

Yep read colts are interested

I wouldn’t cry I doubt any of us would …read something awhile ago about soccer being a buffer for Tepper should cte ultimately end the nfl in the future