NFL Rumors: Baker Mayfield to Have 'Minimal' FA Market Barring 'Amazing Turnaround'

Baker Mayfield's tenure with the Carolina Panthers has not been a success, and it appears likely to have severely depressed his upcoming free-agent market this offseason.

According to David Newton of ESPN, "Multiple league executive sources told ESPN the market for Mayfield during the offseason will be minimal barring an amazing turnaround in the second half of this season. They say the 27-year-old won't get more than a prove-it, one-year deal in the $5 million to $7 million range."

It gets worse for Mayfield—one personnel source told Newton that the Panthers may even consider outright releasing the veteran quarterback in the coming weeks.

Mayfield's fall from grace has been swift. The top overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft appeared to be on the cusp of big things in 2020, leading the Cleveland Browns to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth while throwing for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 62.8 percent of his passes.

The numbers weren't tantalizing, but it was hard to argue with the end product.

But Mayfield was far worse in 2021, perhaps in part because of injuries, throwing for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 starts. The Browns went 6-8 with him as a starter, traded for Deshaun Watson in the offseason and moved Mayfield to Carolina, where the struggles have continued.

In six games and five starts this year, he's thrown for 1,117 yards, six scores and four picks, completing just 56.6 percent of his passes while losing his starting job to P.J. Walker. It's possible that if Walker struggles the Panthers might give Sam Darnold another look, now that he's healthy again, rather than turning back to Mayfield.

But the question is how he went from 2020 Mayfield to the 2022 version so quickly.

"I don't know if he'll ever get another chance, but I'm telling you, somebody has missed the boat on him,'' a source close to Mayfield told Newton. "Is he top 10 in the NFL? I don't know. But I promise you he's top half from an ability standpoint.''

The fact that Mayfield hasn't proven that on the field the past two years doesn't bode well for his future prospects. He's likely looking at two scenarios come free agency—either a team needs a stopgap quarterback for a year and goes with Mayfield, or he signs on to be a backup.

It's a far cry from where he was in 2020.