Browns, Panthers, Seahawks reportedly remain stuck in 'holding pattern' in Baker Mayfield talks

Earlier this week, NFL analyst Ross Tucker made a prediction that the former No. 1 overall pick would ultimately end up with the Seattle Seahawks, while fellow quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo — who has spent this spring embroiled in constant trade rumors as well — would get sent to the Carolina Panthers. On Wednesday, Jonathan M. Alexander and Ellis L. Williams of The Charlotte Observer seemed to suggest that Mayfield could still end up with the NFC South club.

Alexander and Williams were directly asked when the Panthers could trade for Mayfield, and the latter responded that "the Panthers will continue to monitor" the Cleveland quarterback's situation "through the summer," even though Carolina is looking to avoid paying much, if not all, of Mayfield's salary. Howe conveyed a similar argument for The Athletic on Friday morning.

"The Panthers and Seahawks have shown interest in acquiring Mayfield, but the Browns haven’t been willing to absorb enough of his fully guaranteed $18.858 million salary. There had indeed been some progress in the negotiations between the Browns and Panthers before Carolina traded up for quarterback -- Matt Corral -- a move the Panthers felt compelled to make with a QB prospect they liked still dangling out there. ... The Panthers and Seahawks still haven’t ruled out acquiring Mayfield, but they’ll need the Browns to take on a much greater portion of his contract than they’ve offered so far. It’s unclear how far apart the sides have been, but the Browns want their contractual intake to be commensurate with the asset they receive in return," Howe wrote. "The Browns don’t have much, if any, negotiating leverage, and the Panthers and Seahawks are using that to their advantage. As a fifth-year player, Mayfield’s minimum base salary would be $1.035 million, which means the Browns could eat as much as $17.823 million in a trade. The Panthers and Seahawks are obviously pushing for something closer to that number."

Howe adds that the Browns could keep the former Heisman trophy winner through 2022 if a trade doesn't come to fruition. Releasing Mayfield would force them to absorb the entire $18.858 million.