Finally, after months of speculation, it happened. On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns traded Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield has been dealt to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2024 conditional fifth-round pick. Cleveland will reportedly pay Mayfield $10.5 million this season, while the Panthers will pick up around $5 million.
The Panthers had been mentioned as the most likely trade partner for Mayfield for some time. Presumably, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft will compete with Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick that year, for the starting job in Carolina.
There has been a wide range of media reactions to the Mayfield trade, a snippet of which you can find below.
Besides the trade itself, the juiciest storyline here is the fact the Browns and Panthers open the season against each other. If Mayfield wins the starting job–and he should, if healthy–he will have an immediate opportunity to show his old team they made a mistake in giving up on him.
Should be fun.