One of the key holdups for the Cleveland Browns in their efforts to trade away erstwhile starting quarterback Baker Mayfield was the QB’s big salary. Mayfield is due to make $18.9 million in 2022 on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, a move the Browns executed last offseason.
Per the reported details of the pending trade from NFL.com, both Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers have agreed to help out the Browns on the financial front in the pending deal. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network indicates that Mayfield lowered his salary and the Panthers will also pick up some of the tab on his contract.
Cleveland will still be on the hook for $10.5 million of Mayfield’s fully guaranteed salary. Carolina is now obligated for roughly $5 million according to the trade terms. Mayfield helped facilitate the trade by shaving around $3.5 million from his salary, too.
More: The #Browns will pay Baker Mayfield $10.5 million this season, which means they trimmed over $8 million in cash and salary-cap space. The #Panthers will pay Mayfield ~$5 million. Mayfield agreed to trim ~$3.5 million off his base salary.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 6, 2022
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Mayfield was slated to be the Browns’ highest-paid contractual obligation in 2022. Saving over $8 million –presuming the reported contractual details are accurate–will give the Browns right around $49 million in cap space once the pending trade is completed.