The teams have had this deal for nearly a month, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports and former Browns GM Michael Lombardi ( Twitter links ). By giving Mayfield the small pay cut, the Panthers pointed to the former No. 1 overall pick’s potential to make up the difference by bolstering his value for the 2023 free-agent market, Jones adds. Mayfield, who had an $18.9 million salary, can also earn back the money through 2022 incentives. Mayfield follows Odell Beckham Jr. sacrificed some money to facilitate the Browns’ exit. Despite the interest in this intraconference trade, ESPN.com’s David Newton adds that the deal would still come before a Mayfield-Darnold contest. Mayfield will be favored to win a training camp matchup against incumbent Sam Darnold, who was selected two picks after him in the 2018 draft. As for the conditional draft pick the Browns will receive, Mayfield’s former team should to root for Darnold to beat. The pick will upgrade to a 2024 fourth-rounder if Mayfield plays at least 70 percent of the Panthers’ snaps, The Athletic’s Joe Person reports. Otherwise, it will become fifth. The winner of that battle will take over a Panthers team that could have a much better offensive line — one that added left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, center Bradley Bozeman and guard Austin Corbett, whom the Browns selected one round after Mayfield in 2018 – compared to the 2021 edition and a receiving corps of DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson and 2021 second-rounder Terrace Marshall Jr. The prospect of a healthy Christian McCaffrey has taunted the Panthers and their fans for two years now, but the former All-Pro running back is also returning to his position. Mayfield appears to be planning to bring Panthers skill players together for a pre-camp workout, Newton reported. In the draft, the Browns weren’t willing to pay much more than $3 million over Mayfield’s salary. They ended up moving to $10.5 million. The Panthers didn’t want to cough up more than $5 million for Mayfield, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets, which led to the pay cut request. But the Panthers were able to add a former No. 1 pick, resisting the temptation to reach for one of this year’s QB prospects with the No. 6 pick — which turned out to be Ekwonu. While Mayfield’s pay cut and the Panthers agreeing to cover some of the cost saves the Browns up to $8MM in cap space, it could mark a huge descent for Cleveland’s position — at least through 2022. The Browns have go from the 2022 reality of developing a healthier Mayfield to moving Deshaun Watson — after a short hiatus — to face the prospect of needing Jacoby Brissett for a full season of QB1 work. The Browns didn’t anticipate a one-season suspension for Watson — which has become the NFL’s preferred ban — when they traded for him, and neither they nor Mayfield appeared to be making inroads toward repairing the relationship. As previously noted, a Jimmy Garoppolo trade was out of the question for the Panthers. They had expressed reservations about 49ers QB injuries and, based on Mayfield’s extended contract bargain, were not getting Garoppolo’s $24.2 million salary. According to Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson (on Twitter ), Carolina viewed Mayfield as a higher-tier option than Garoppolo. Wednesday’s trade cost Garoppolo, who has dealt with more injuries than Mayfield over the past four seasons, a great landing spot. The 49ers may now have to wait out an injury in training camp to unload Garoppolo in a trade. Some NFL evaluators expected San Francisco to simply release Garoppolo, whose base salary is guaranteed in Week 1. Seattle would make sense as a destination for Garoppolo, but talk outside the Pacific Northwest continues to center on the ongoing Drew Lock–Geno Smith competition. The Seahawks had “lukewarm interest” in signing Mayfield, notes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Although the Browns going from Mayfield to Brissett represents a downgrade, the Seahawks moving from Russell Wilson to either Lock or Smith would overcome it. The Broncos giving up their 2023 first- and second-round picks give the Seahawks picks next year — in what is expected to be a better draft — but the team appears on the verge of giving Wilson’s old job to a highly vetted passer .
