It may not seem like it these days, but new Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield has plenty folks rooting for his come-up. And some of those folks, funnily enough, are actually in the NFL.
Heavy senior NFL reporter Matt Lombardo recently took the league’s pulse in regards to Carolina’s move for Mayfield—gauging the opinions from some of the sport’s coaches, coordinators, scouts and evaluators alike. One coach, in particular, hopes Baker silences his sudden critics.
“Remember, just two years ago, he was winning playoff games in Cleveland,” the coach told Lombardo. “And everybody loved him. Now, there’s this whole narrative that people think he stinks. I really hope he goes down to Carolina and tears it up. I love the way this kid competes.”
Mayfield’s competitiveness, obviously, has never been in question. That well-documented doggedness was on full display during a rough 2021, a season in which he played through the better part of 13 games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
His production, however, wasn’t enough to convince Cleveland to seek out an upgrade. The league’s interception leader since he turned pro in 2018, Mayfield was pushed aside for Deshaun Watson—whom the Browns paid a king’s ransom for (and then some) to replace the former No. 1 overall pick.
But, another person in the know believes Mayfield isn’t all that bad. In fact, they think he’s better than whoever their team has had under center.
“We got a look at him twice over the past two years,” an offensive play-caller said. “And he was clearly better than our quarterback. In every single aspect. I think he is much better than what everyone is making him out to be.”
Well, hopefully that’s the case for not only him, but for head coach Matt Rhule in this fateful 2022 campaign.
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