Although Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t exactly great, he’s not exactly bad either—at least enough to deserve the purgatory he currently faces. It’s just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And, unfortunately for the former No. 1 overall pick, he may not find a new place any time soon.
NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport joined Tuesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show and gave us the latest on Mayfield—who has been most recently linked to the Seattle Seahawks. But when asked by McAfee if Baker to Seattle is a forgone conclusion, Rapoport had some different intel.
“It is not right,” he said. “There’s a couple times a year this happens where you get like an Internet rumor that kinda takes on a life of its own. And believe me, I always check. And I’ve heard nothing to corroborate Baker to the Seahawks at all. And, like, I don’t know what’s gonna happen at the end of all this. Like, maybe this guy announces he’s trolling us. It seems crazy to me, but they have never really been that interested in Baker. What they have wanted is a Drew Lock v. Geno Smith battle.”
Mayfield, of course, is just about on the outs with Cleveland—who have put all of their eggs, money and draft picks in Deshaun Watson’s basket. Last week, the 27-year-old told SoonerScoop.com that he believes it’s time for both sides—meaning he and the Browns—to “move on.”
So, what could all of this now mean to the Carolina Panthers? Do all roads for Mayfield (or just the one) lead to Charlotte?
“Ya know, obviously, it’s been the Carolina Panthers that have been most aggressive,” Rapoport went on to add. “I know most people thought a deal would happen by the end of minicamp. It did not. So we’ll see, as we get closer to camp, if things pick back up. If a trade is going to happen, it’s probably going to happen before training camp at some point.”
For the Panthers, players are set to report to training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. on Tuesday, July 26.