My wife loves Baker Mayfield. More like, she loves his commercials. And I get it.
They’re charming and enjoyable. He may not be the most expressive pitchman, but he’s got the look and the voice, particularly in the Progressive commercials where he demonstrates “protecting your home,” with his “home” being FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. For example, he’s on the field when he sees a dark cloud in the sky. Running past the groundskeeper, he proclaims that it’s time to protect the furniture, which the groundskeeper takes to mean “the stands?” Yes, the stands.
There is a chance now that those commercials may be shot not in Ohio, but a couple hours south of us in Mecklenburg County. That’s right: Baker Mayfield is headed to the Carolina Panthers, after the franchise pulled the trigger on a long-rumored trade last Wednesday to bring the former No. 1 overall pick to Charlotte and send a conditional fifth-round pick two years from now up north.
For those unaware: Mayfield had a stellar college career. After a great first year at Texas Tech, he put up legendary numbers over three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners. After his final year, he won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide. In his rookie season in the NFL in 2018, he threw for more touchdowns than any rookie quarterback to that point, surpassing Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning and potential future Hall-of-Famer and erstwhile N.C. State legend Russell Wilson. In 2020, the Browns reached the promised land of the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the back of Mayfield’s 263 yards and three touchdowns in the Wild Card round, the first Browns playoff win in 26 years.
So how did this guy land in Charlotte, which has had its own quarterback problems since Cam Newton picked up a string of injuries and the coaching staff didn’t commit to a serviceable Teddy Bridgewater? (Yes, I’m a Teddy fan.) Two reasons.
First, Mayfield had a rough 2021. He played most of the year with a partially torn labrum and then a right knee contusion. He played 14 of 17 games and had middling statistics. Second, in a shocking move that still irks me, the Browns traded their franchise away for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is facing 24 civil lawsuits related to sexual misconduct and assault. Having a former No. 1 overall pick and, as of 2020, one of the most talented QBs in the league on the same team would not work out, and the fact that Cleveland was ready to face all the media pressure and well-deserved national ridicule that came with trading for Watson was a sign, I’m sure, to Mayfield that he needed to leave.
With all this context, I was asked, as a Panthers fan, to write how I felt about Baker coming to Charlotte. Fans of NFL franchises without franchise QBs firmly in place ask themselves every offseason if this is the year we find the fit. Panthers fans are convinced that Sam Darnold is not the answer. He didn’t exactly prove he was last year, but I’m not sure it’s entirely his fault. Explaining that take is another column. Newton came back in the middle of last year and brought excitement, but not sustained success, and he’s no longer on the roster. Former XFL legend P.J. Walker has shown just a couple glimpses of ability, and new third-round pick Matt Corral had a great college career at Ole Miss, but is not NFL-ready this year.
So the Panthers went for Mayfield, someone who has a playoff win to his name, something Darnold, Walker and Corral do not have. Most sports columnists write these with snappy predictions and the “hot take” that I can’t stand. Making predictions now is foolish, and hot takes are annoying.
But I was asked, so here’s my take: What’s there to lose? Mayfield has shown more skill and winning mentality in the NFL than the Panthers’ three current quarterbacks combined. He’s an obvious upgrade on Darnold and Walker, and Corral is unproven. The asking price was not much, and Cleveland will pay most of his salary, a good thing given the Panthers are on the hook for Darnold’s $18 million paycheck this year.
Would I love to see him shooting commercials in the stands of Bank of America Stadium, telling his wife how lovely it is to live in the Queen City? I would. Would I love to see him throwing touchdown passes to DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Christian McCaffrey on Sundays? Of course.
But am I expecting that? Honestly, I don’t know what to expect. At the very least, he’s better than what we had before last Wednesday, and maybe that’s enough for now.
Former News + Record reporter Zachary Horner is the public information specialist for the Chatham County Public Health Department.