Baker Mayfield will have a chance to continue his career with the Carolina Panthers.
From a point wherein his playing time looked bleak, he will now be the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1 against his former team, the Cleveland Browns.
He will try to defeat the team that traded him away in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It looks like the pick will become a fourth-rounder because Mayfield will play 70 percent of the Panthers’ snaps in 2022.
More importantly, he would like to prove his team wrong in the back of his mind.
He would like to show those who gave up on him that his football journey has just begun.
After all, he’s doing fairly well compared to the careers of quarterbacks who came before him.
Peyton Manning first 4 NFL seasons:
81 interceptionsTroy Aikman first 4 NFL seasons:
60 interceptionsBaker Mayfield first 4 NFL seasons:
56 interceptionsGotta give young guys time!
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) August 22, 2022
Ben Stinar pointed out that Peyton Manning had 81 interceptions in his first four NFL seasons, including 28 in his rookie year.
Meanwhile, Troy Aikman had 60 in the same time frame and Mayfield has 56.
To the Browns’ credit, it helped to have a solid running game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt behind Mayfield.
Having that option limited Mayfield’s need to throw the ball downfield.
Panthers Hope Mayfield Will Succeed
The team didn’t have several options in terms of upgrading their quarterback depth chart.
The quarterback talent pool during the 2022 NFL Draft was unreliable and they ended up getting Matt Corral in the third round.
However, Mayfield’s success could bring good fortune to the franchise.
It could lead them to their first playoff berth in a while.
His success could also save the jobs of head coach Matt Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer.
Therefore, a lot is riding on Mayfield’s performance this season.
