Browns QB Mayfield Trade Candidate for New NFC Squad Offense: Report – Home

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Getty Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns avoids a tackle by Joey Bosa #97 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

For weeks it has been assumed that the Cleveland Browns’ most likely trade partner for quarterback Baker Mayfield is the Seattle Seahawks, but a deep dive into an NFC South team’s new offense has shed light on what Mayfield could be. achieve there as a bridge. signal caller.

The Carolina Panthers ruled out offensive coordinator Joe Brady 12 games into the 2021 season as head coach Matt Rhule made him the scapegoat for an offense that finished last among 32 NFL teams, according to Pro Football. Reference. Likely on the bench himself and responsible for a disastrous trade for former New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, Rhule has turned to former New York Giants offensive coordinator and head coach Ben McAdoo to get the offense of the Panthers back on track.

Ellis Williams of The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday, April 13, wrote a deep dive into Mayfield’s potential fit with the Panthers in the context of McAdoo’s offensive scheme, noting its similarities to the one Mayfield ran during what turned out to be a year of historic rookie for quarterback in Cleveland.

During Mayfield’s rookie season, the Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson and named then running backs coach Freddie Kitchens as interim head coach and playcaller. Mayfield responded by setting the rookie passing touchdown record (27, which was broken two years later by Justin Herbert’s 31). He and Kitchens (aided by a soft defensive schedule) meshed well early on.

The Playing in Kitchens system is an example of what Mayfield might look like under McAdoo. Mayfield regressed in 2021 in large part because he played with a torn labrum, which he suffered in Week 2 against the [Houston] jeans. But there were also big disagreements about the offense between Mayfield and coach Kevin Stefanski.

Under McAdoo, Mayfield would play in a system similar to the one Kitchens had. He would be on shotgun more often, playing at an up-tempo and being allowed more freedom to pick his matchups, whether he was off the numbers or under.

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NFL Draft week may be a window for the Browns to move Mayfield

GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield watches a play during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 17, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The window for a deal between the Browns and Panthers, or any team interested in Mayfield, seems increasingly likely to open during the week of the NFL Draft, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 28.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport appeared on the Pat McAfee Show Wednesday to discuss the Mayfield situation, going into detail about what the interaction of a Cleveland-Carolina quarterback deal would look like.

“It just makes sense. Let’s say you’re the Carolina Panthers and you want someone to compete with Sam Darnold, you’d like someone for the future, you just want to improve the quarterback room, your options are: take, say, Malik Willis at No. 6, or Kenny Pickett, or trade for Baker Mayfield. But you have to make a decision,” Rapoport said.

“So if you don’t trade for Baker Mayfield, then maybe you’re taking a quarterback. If you trade for Baker Mayfield … your fourth quarterback is set up just for this year and then you take the best position player you can, maybe a tackle, and then you move on,” Rapoport continued. “So we’re going to get something on draft day.”

Seahawks sign former starting QB to one year Thursday

Getty Images Quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns.

Ellis’s assessment of how Mayfield would fit in with the Panthers’ new offense is encouraging, particularly as the Seahawks brought back their best quarterback of the 2021 season on Thursday, who isn’t named Russell Wilson, according to NFL insider Jordan. Schultz.

Breaking: FA QB Geno Smith is re-signing with the #Seahawks, according to source.

Smith, 31, started three games for the Seahawks last season while compiling a career-high 103.0 passer rating with 5 TDs and 1 INT.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 14, 2022

“Breaking: FA QB Geno Smith is re-signing with the #Seahawks, per source,” Schultz tweeted. Smith, 31, started three games for the Seahawks last season while compiling a career-high 103.0 passer rating with 5 TDs and 1 INT.

Smith joins former Denver Broncos signal-caller Drew Lock on the Seahawks’ depth chart along with Jacob Eason, according to ESPN. None of those three players has been as successful in the NFL as Mayfield was during his rookie year or during the 2020 season, when he led the Browns to their first playoff victory in more than a quarter-century.

Still, Seattle saw fit to offer Smith a $7 million deal next season, a significant raise that acknowledges the competence he showed when he got his chance to step on the field.

The Seahawks’ signing of Smith doesn’t preclude a trade for Mayfield, though the Panthers fit in as a backup option who offers some secondary security. However, Ellis noted that several NFL insiders believe Carolina would be more interested in San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo than Mayfield if the Niners’ caller materialized as a legitimate trade option this season. low.

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