A former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and number one overall NFL draft pick got his wish to be traded to a new team recently.
The bigger storyline could be that this quarterback will now face his former team in week one of the 2022 NFL season and will get paid a hefty sum to try and beat them.
What Happened: The Cleveland Browns announced a trade of Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers recently. The move sees the former number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft get a new team after a falling out with the team.
The Browns will receive a conditional draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft as part of the trade, which will be a fourth- or fifth-round selection depending on if Mayfield takes 70% or more of the snaps for the Panthers this season.
According to ESPN sources, under the terms of the trade, Mayfield’s 2022 salary will be picked up by both teams with the following:
Panthers to pay $4.85 million
Browns to pay $10.5 million
Mayfield will convert the remainder of his $18.8 million salary into incentives based on team performance.
Based on the salary retainment by the Browns, Cleveland will be paying Mayfield $617,647 each of the 17 games he plays this season.
That means that when the Browns face the Panthers in week one on Sep. 11, 2022, the Browns will pay $617,647 to Mayfield to try and beat them.
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Why It’s Important: Mayfield is not set in stone to be the starter for the Panthers and will compete with Sam Darnold for the starting role.
Mayfield and Darnold were two of the worst-ranked quarterbacks last season according to ESPN. Mayfield threw for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season.
Mayfield has shown signs of potential with him finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in his first season with 27 touchdowns. Mayfield also led the Browns to their first NFL Playoffs win in 26 years during his tenure with the team.
The Browns landed quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade and signed him to a record-breaking $230 million deal over five seasons. Coincidentally, the Browns will pay Watson $10 million in his first season, or $589,882. This means the Browns are paying more money to their week one opposing quarterback than they are to their highest-paid quarterback on their own roster.
Landing Mayfield improved the Panthers' Super Bowl odds from 125-to-1 to 100-to-1 at Caesars Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:CZR).
Week one odds have the Browns listed as a one-point favorite at DraftKings, Inc. (NASDAQ:DKNG), a line that could fluctuate heavily before the season starts as starting quarterbacks are named.
Photo: Maridav via Shutterstock
