BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have agreed to commerce quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in change for a conditional draft decide, a supply confirmed to ESPN.

The Panthers pays $4.85 million of Mayfield’s wage whereas the Browns pays $10.5 million, a supply instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Mayfield has agreed to forgo the rest of his $18.eight million wage to facilitate the deal, which is pending a bodily, the supply stated.

The Browns will obtain both a fourth- or fifth-round decide in 2024, relying on Mayfield’s taking part in time in Carolina.

The information was first reported by NFL Community.

Mayfield, the No. 1 total decide within the 2018 draft, joins a Panthers staff that already has Sam Darnold, the No. three total choice in 2018, on its quarterback depth chart. The Panthers additionally chosen Matt Corral within the third spherical of this yr’s draft.

Now Mayfield and Darnold, who competed with one another to turn into the No. 1 decide in 2018, will compete once more in coaching camp to vie for the appropriate to be the Panthers’ starter this season.

The Mayfield commerce comes on the heels of Cleveland’s blockbuster take care of the Houston Texans that landed quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns gave Watson a brand new five-year deal price $230 million totally assured, the richest deal in assured cash in NFL historical past by an $80 million margin. Cleveland additionally surrendered three first-round picks within the deal, the primary staff to take action for a single participant for the reason that Minnesota Vikings traded three first-rounders to the Dallas Cowboys for working again Herschel Walker in 1989.

With Mayfield gone, the Browns now have starter Watson together with Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs at quarterback. Watson, nevertheless, may not be out there to the Browns in any respect this season. He has been accused in civil lawsuits by 25 girls of actions starting from sexual assault to inappropriate conduct throughout therapeutic massage periods. His listening to earlier than the NFL and NFL Gamers Affiliation’s collectively appointed disciplinary officer, Sue L. Robinson, completed after three days Thursday.

The NFL has been pushing for a suspension for not less than a yr, based on ESPN’s Dan Graziano, who reported that each side engaged in a number of makes an attempt to succeed in a settlement whereas the listening to was nonetheless occurring, however stay unable to agree. There is no such thing as a timetable for Robinson’s resolution.

If Watson is suspended, the Browns are anticipated to begin Brissett at quarterback.

The Watson commerce successfully ended the Mayfield period in Cleveland. The Browns chosen the previous Heisman Trophy winner No. 1 in 2018 and he made his debut in Week three that season off the bench and rallied the Browns to their first victory in 635 days. He went on to complete second within the NFL Offensive Rookie of the 12 months voting whereas breaking the NFL rookie document with 27 touchdowns. That document was later damaged in 2020 by the Los Angeles Chargers‘ Justin Herbert, who completed with 31 landing passes.

Mayfield’s tenure total, nevertheless, was marred by inconsistency, drama and a left shoulder harm that plagued him all through the 2021 season.

Over his 4 years in Cleveland, Mayfield, based on a number of sources, had grown more and more pissed off with a franchise that had made him the fourth quarterback in NFL historical past to play for 4 totally different head coaches in his first three seasons. Even after Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years throughout the 2020 season, the staff declined to have interaction Mayfield’s camp a few potential contract extension as soon as he grew to become eligible for one, a sign to Mayfield he may not be within the staff’s long-term plans.

Mayfield then suffered a torn labrum to his non-throwing left shoulder in Week 2 of the 2021 season. As an alternative of sitting out or present process season-ending surgical procedure, Mayfield performed by means of the harm and struggled for a lot of the season. One season after ending within the prime 10 in QBR in 2020, he fell all the way in which to 27th in 2021, the most important QBR dropoff (-30.4) of any passer within the league, based on ESPN Stats & Data.

Nonetheless, during the last two months, each Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and common supervisor Andrew Berry repeatedly had publicly affirmed that Mayfield would stay their quarterback.

On the mix in February, Berry did inform Mayfield’s agent the Browns may pursue an elite-level quarterback, like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers, based on a supply accustomed to the dialog. Mayfield’s camp was additionally conscious that brief record may ultimately embrace Watson, even with 22 civil circumstances pending alleging inappropriate conduct and sexual assault throughout therapeutic massage periods.

On March 12, when a Texas grand jury declined to pursue legal fees in opposition to Watson, the Browns made their transfer, securing a gathering with Watson in Houston.

A number of sources instructed ESPN that Mayfield was angered that the Browns did not inform him immediately that they might be assembly with Watson; as an alternative, he came upon about it over social media. Mayfield responded with a press release that night time thanking the town of Cleveland and its followers “who actually embraced who I’m,” whereas Browns officers had been flying again from Houston.

The breaking level for Mayfield with the Browns, nevertheless, got here the next day.

On March 16, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported a Browns supply had instructed him that the staff wished to switch Mayfield with “an grownup at that place.”

Mayfield requested a commerce the subsequent day. The Browns initially instructed him they had been “not accommodating his request.” However after Cleveland landed Watson, that made Mayfield expendable.

Consequently, Mayfield turns into simply the third quarterback in NFL historical past to go No. 1 total within the draft and final 4 or fewer seasons with the staff that drafted him, based on ESPN Stats & Data, becoming a member of JaMarcus Russell (Raiders) and Jeff George (Colts).