How the Mayfield trade came about

[Mr. Scot]

Joe Person breaks down the process that led to Mayfield being a Panther, a process he refers to as "a two month dance that was more like a game of chicken".

How the Mayfield trade happened (subscription required)

Excerpts:

A few weeks after Cleveland won the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes in March, Browns general manager Andrew Berry began talking to Carolina GM Scott Fitterer to try to find a home in Charlotte for their displaced and unhappy quarterback.

The two men — both former scouts — would spend a lot of time on the phone together over the ensuing weeks, neither wanting to budge when it came to how much each would pay toward Mayfield’s guaranteed $18.858 million salary for 2022.

...

Multiple sources told The Athletic that while the Browns discussed Mayfield’s situation with other teams during “routine” offseason discussions, the Panthers were the only serious suitor.

With trade terms long having been agreed upon and only financial particulars left to be settled, the Browns granted the Panthers permission to speak with Mayfield and his representation around the time of minicamps. Concessions by all sides, including Mayfield’s willingness to take a pay cut, helped get the deal done July 5, just after the long, holiday weekend.

...

News of the trade broke Wednesday. By Thursday, Mayfield was cutting a Bahamas vacation short to fly to Charlotte for a physical and to sign with his new team, ending a relationship with the Browns that had been broken beyond repair.

The Athletic spoke to officials with both teams and a source close to Mayfield to chronicle the various starts and stops, as well as the key moments that eventually led to the 27-year-old quarterback touching down in Charlotte.

March/April

After watching Sam Darnold struggle with turnovers and what Matt Rhule calls “catastrophic plays” in Darnold’s first season in Carolina, the Panthers were clear about wanting to upgrade the position. The Browns were less clear about their plans with Mayfield, but a breakup seemed inevitable as soon as the Browns’ contingent flew to Houston to pitch Watson on March 15. Before that meeting was even over, Mayfield tweeted what was a part-thank you and part-goodbye to Browns fans.

...

Some in the Panthers organization viewed Mayfield as a possible backup plan, though Fitterer, Rhule and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo also were focused on the quarterbacks in the draft. Without a pick in the second or third rounds, the Panthers weren’t sure if one would fall to them.

Berry and Fitterer had worked together on the second night of the 2021 draft as the Browns traded up with the Panthers in the second round to acquire the selection that was used on linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. That impromptu deal was done with the Panthers on the clock at pick No. 52, but the Berry-Fitterer conversation on the second night of the 2022 draft involved a more obvious potential match. The Browns were moving on from a starting-caliber quarterback, and the Panthers were in search of one.

From the Cleveland side of that first conversation, it was made clear that the Browns were looking for a second-day pick for Mayfield — and wanted the Panthers to pay about half of Mayfield’s salary. That price was too steep for the Panthers, especially when three quarterbacks slid to the third round — Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis and Corral, who the Panthers eventually traded up and selected at No. 94 as a developmental option.

...

Fitterer and Berry agreed to get through the rest of the draft weekend and circle back on Mayfield a couple of weeks later closer to organized team activity practices, which began in mid-May. The Browns initially asked for more than they realistically knew they would get because they were never going to be rushed into a Mayfield trade.

...

The Browns knew they’d have to swallow at least some of Mayfield’s salary, and they also knew it would be a potential sticking point.

May/June

The Panthers weren’t in a hurry to re-engage with Cleveland, in part because they knew they were the only suitor. Externally, a lot of dots connected Mayfield and what appears to be a rebuilding Seattle team, but the Seahawks never made a real trade inquiry. Fitterer, who had spent 20 years in Seattle’s front office, would have known if the Seahawks were serious about Mayfield.

...

When Fitterer and Berry resumed the Mayfield negotiations, they came to an agreement on what the draft-pick compensation would look like. The Panthers would send Cleveland a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024, which would become a fourth-round selection if Mayfield played 70 percent of the offensive snaps in 2022.

But they still had to figure out the financials. Berry called Tom Mills, Mayfield’s Colorado-based agent, and told him the Panthers and Browns had the framework in place but it would be up to Mills to work out the money piece of it with the Panthers.

...

With minicamp approaching, Carolina initially wanted Mayfield to take a pay cut of more than $7 million. But Mayfield was only willing to give up $3.5 million of his guaranteed money.

Fitterer and Rhule had hoped to have Mayfield in Charlotte before minicamp so he could begin learning McAdoo’s offense and getting familiar with his teammates. But with Tepper, the NFL’s richest owner, dug in, the Panthers ended minicamp with Mayfield still on Cleveland’s roster.

July

With Fitterer preparing for a trip to New York with his wife and Berry also taking time off, both sides agreed it would be beneficial to wrap up the deal by or shortly after the Fourth of July. By the end of June, what had been a wide financial gulf between the Browns and Panthers had narrowed to a difference of $1 million. The end was in sight.

Mills began working with Panthers vice president of football administration Samir Suleiman on an incentives package that would give Mayfield a chance to earn back the $3.5 million he was giving up if the Panthers made the playoffs and/or reached specified thresholds for wins and offensive statistics. Mayfield also would be rewarded for personal accomplishments like a Pro Bowl selection. When the dust settled, the Browns agreed to pay $10.5 million of Mayfield’s reworked salary, with the Panthers chipping in $4.86 million.

...

As Baylor’s coach, Rhule faced Mayfield once when Oklahoma visited Waco during Mayfield’s Heisman Trophy season of 2017. Mayfield threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns in the Sooners’ 49-41 win, with one of the touchdowns coming one play after Mayfield picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Rhule talked to former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley about Mayfield in recent weeks, and Rhule and Fitterer were both convinced Mayfield was worth pursuing. Mayfield liked the idea of having a chance to start in Carolina before becoming a free agent after the season.

..

All that remained was Cleveland and Carolina agreeing on the financials. After two months, countless texts and phone calls and some interrupted vacations, it finally came to fruition.

[CanadianCat]

Thanks for sharing

[Raleigh PF]

11 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

But with Tepper, the NFL’s richest owner, dug in, the Panthers ended minicamp with Mayfield still on Cleveland’s roster.

Sounds like Tepper was the voice of reason in this whole process.

[Mr. Scot]

From the flipside, and analysis of how the relationship between the Browns and Mayfield broke down...

This writer clearly isn't a Mayfield fan, but he also shines a light on some petty and unprofessional behavior from Stefanski and the Browns.

[Mr. Scot]

3 minutes ago, Raleigh PF said:

Sounds like Tepper was the voice of reason in this whole process.

Wouldn't go that far...

There's more in the article, but the basic gist of it is that he wanted to get Mayfield for as little as possible. (so did Fitterer).

What strikes me the most about how the story went down is that, as has happened a few times before, we were basically only bidding against ourselves.

But this time, instead of raising the price, we actually managed to lower it.

[rayzor]

this is kind of funny....

 

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, rayzor said:

this is kind of funny....

 

Heh

Someone else pointed out that the Browns will be paying both Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson for 2022 but may not have either of them.

Andrew Berry it's a lot of praise as a GM but that situation is a mess.

[USDepartmentOfSavagery]

A drinking game but every time @Mr. Scotitalicizes a word, you take a shot. 

Edited July 8, 2022 by USDepartmentOfSavagery

[EgoDogg]

15 minutes ago, USDepartmentOfSavagery said:

A drinking game but every time @Mr. Scotitalicizes a word, you take a shot. 

I plan on living through the weekend, thank you very much

[Mr. Scot]

20 minutes ago, USDepartmentOfSavagery said:

A drinking game but every time @Mr. Scotitalicizes a word, you take a shot. 

A habit I stole from Stephen King

Can't provide tone of voice in a written format so if you want to emphasize something, you have to use visual cues.

In the case of extended quotes like this one though, it's because the board's quote function on mobile became kind of wonky during a previous software upgrade.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[Jared Patterson]

Tepper is still wayyyyy too involved and has no idea about player personal. Just watches ESPN and NFL Network and bases decisions on what the media says.

[Sgt Schultz]

4 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

Wouldn't go that far...

There's more in the article, but the basic gist of it is that he wanted to get Mayfield for as little as possible. (so did Fitterer).

What strikes me the most about how the story went down is that, as has happened a few times before, we were basically only bidding against ourselves.

But this time, instead of raising the price, we actually managed to lower it.

I got the distinct impression it worked out that way because the rumored other suitor was Seattle.  Had they trotted out somebody else, we might well have had Darnold II, The Sequel. 

[Mr. Scot]

2 minutes ago, Sgt Schultz said:

I got the distinct impression it worked out that way because the rumored other suitor was Seattle.  Had they trotted out somebody else, we might well have had Darnold II, The Sequel. 

Possible. I'd like to think that Scott Fitterer isn't prone to being fooled by these sorts of things like Marty Hurney was though (behind the scenes draft video bolsters that argument).

But yeah, you'd have to think of all people, Fitterer would have a pretty good idea whether his old Seattle colleagues were bluffing or not.

[Jared Patterson]

23 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Possible. I'd like to think that Scott Fitterer isn't prone to being fooled by these sorts of things like Marty Hurney was though (behind the scenes draft video bolsters that argument).

But yeah, you'd have to think of all people, Fitterer would have a pretty good idea whether his old Seattle colleagues were bluffing or not.

Seattle was not interested. Ian Rap shot down Josinas rumors and said Seattle was never interested. No one was besides us. Most teams are hesitant to do any deals w the Browns after the Watson incident and that contract. Then there is us who was willing to give up anything for Watson and when we didn't get him traded for the Watson sweepstakes winner's back up lol.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Jared Patterson