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The Seattle Seahawks are officially out of the Baker Mayfield sweepstakes, but the door now may be open for a new quarterback. The Panthers finally pulled off a deal for Mayfield and traded up to snag Matt Corral in the third round of the draft.
Despite public posturing by the Panthers that Sam Darnold still has a chance to win the starting job, the former No. 3 pick of the 2018 NFL draft is likely the odd man out. This could open the door for the Seahawks to make a deal for Darnold similar to the one Carolina pulled off for Mayfield.
The Browns received a 2024 fifth-round pick from the Panthers that will be bumped up to a fourth rounder if Mayfield plays 70% of the snaps in 2022, per Pro Football Focus’ Ari Meirov. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Cleveland also agreed to pay $10.5 million of Mayfield’s salary. The quarterback was initially slated to make $18.8 million, but Mayfield agreed to trim $3.5 million off his base salary which can be made back in incentives.
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The Seahawks Could Push the Panthers for a Similar QB Trade
Given Darnold has less upside than Mayfield, the Seahawks could likely snag the quarterback for even less, potentially a late day-three pick. Darnold also has an $18.8 million salary, less than ideal for a player who may not even start.
The Panthers are slated to pay Mayfield just $4.8 million salary, per Spotrac, which can escalate based on incentives. Darnold could be worth a flyer for Seattle if Carolina would agree to a similar deal paying the majority of the signal-caller’s salary.
The price could be right, but the challenge is Darnold may not be an upgrade over Drew Lock or Geno Smith. Mayfield at least displayed a full season of promise while leading the Browns to postseason success. Darnold has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns for two straight seasons, not a ringing endorsement for his potential as an NFL quarterback.
The Panthers signal-caller threw for 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 59.9% of his passes during his 12 appearances last season. The quarterback also added 222 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Darnold’s best season came in 2019 when the quarterback threw for 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 61.9% of his attempts during 13 starts for the Jets.
The Seahawks Were Not Interested in Trading for Mayfield
With Mayfield officially being traded, all signs point to the Seahawks remaining committed to a training camp battle between Lock and Smith. This has been the Seahawks’ stance all along, not just a smokescreen as some analysts suggested. ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported that the Seahawks had little interest in making a trade for Mayfield.
“Baker Mayfield and the Seahawks were linked all offseason, with the QB at one point calling Seattle his most likely landing spot,” Henderson tweeted on July 6. “But Pete Carroll seemed to give repeated signals that they weren’t going to acquire him…”
Like Mayfield, Darnold is entering the final year of his rookie contract and represents little long term commitment from Seattle if acquired. The Seahawks would be able to move on from Darnold after a trial season.
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