Report: Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold swap unlikely to occur

The trade for and signing of quarterback Deshaun Watson isn’t the only quarterback controversy in Cleveland. The moves themselves led to a new situation involving former No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield. With Mayfield growing disgruntled with the franchise, a move away from the Browns has appeared likely all offseason.

One team that has continued to come up when discussing Mayfield’s future is the Carolina Panthers. With a mess of a quarterback room of their own, they could use the upgrade in someone with playoff experience. Usually a move like this would be some version of a one-for-one swap, meaning Carolina would get Mayfield and Cleveland would likely get Sam Darnold.

Per a report from Mary Kay Cabot at Cleveland.com, that does not appear to be the case.

According to the source Cabot spoke to, they say they’re “confident it’s not happening.” While the teams have “remained in contact,” Darnold “hasn’t been a serious part of the discussion.”

While the Browns have played no better than .500 football during his four seasons with the team, Mayfield has been a part of the turnaround from the 4-44 stretch the three years before his arrival.

The tables turned on him over the course of a year, though. In 2020, he had his best season with an 11-5 record, 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. Cleveland won their first playoff game in 26 years with a 48-37 victory over Pittsburgh before losing a close matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. In 2021, that all came crashing down after injuries and poor play had the Browns finish 8-9. The championship roster around him gave Mayfield a short leash, which eventually led to the acquisition of Watson.

Meanwhile, Darnold hasn’t accomplished much better since being selected third behind Mayfield in 2018. His career record sits at 17-32 with three years in New York with the Jets and last season with the Panthers. Turnovers are the problem for Darnold as he has 52 career interceptions to his name along with 21 fumbles lost.

Watson cancels out the typical version of this deal as Cleveland already has their QB1. While it may make the most sense from the outside looking in, it seems the pair of quarterbacks may not be moved for each other after all.