The Carolina Panthers have settled their choice for starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.
Baker Mayfield is expected to be named the Panthers starting QB for Week 1, per @jeffphowe pic.twitter.com/dkVqnkuG7e
— PFF (@PFF) August 18, 2022
Pro Football Focus writer Jeff Howe reports that Baker Mayfield will be their starter on opening weekend.
That announcement is no surprise because it was expected to go that way after the Panthers traded for the former Oklahoma standout.
In return, the Cleveland Browns received a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That selection becomes a fourth-rounder if he plays 70 percent of the snaps this season.
Mayfield has been the best option among all Panthers quarterbacks ever since he joined the squad.
Ironically, the Panthers will be going up against the Browns in Week 1.
Cleveland is also paying $10 of Mayfield’s $18.8 million salary for 2022 to finalize the trade.
The Panthers will address $5 million while the remaining can be earned through incentives.
Mayfield’s NFL Career So Far
After being made the top overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield became a part of that season’s All-Rookie Team by the Pro Football Writers Association.
In his first season with the league, Mayfield had 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns.
He followed that up with 3,827 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2019.
In 2020, he led the Browns to an 11-5 record to snap the franchise’s 18-year postseason drought.
He had 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns that year and led the Browns to a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last season, Mayfield finished with 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns.
However, Deshaun Watson‘s arrival put his tenure with Cleveland in limbo.
To settle the controversy, he was dealt to the Panthers and he will still receive his fifth-year option salary.
Mayfield hopes to have a fresh start with the Panthers, a team that last entered the playoffs in 2017.
