Baker Mayfield and the biggest trades in Carolina Panthers history
The Carolina Panthers made their move for a quarterback Wednesday when they picked up Baker Mayfield in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield, a former No. 1 overall pick, will compete with Sam Darnold for the team’s starting job. He holds a unique place in Panthers history as a trade acquisition for a team that hasn’t made too many high-profile exchanges with other NFL franchises.
Even Hall of Fame-caliber players who came (back) to the Panthers, such as Julius Peppers and Reggie White, did so as free agents.
Here is a look back at arguably the most notable trades in Panthers history.
Kerry Collins
Collins became the first draft pick in team history after the Panthers traded out of the No. 1 overall selection in the 1995 draft in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick and the No. 36 overall pick.
Collins, picked fifth, started 42 games for Carolina across four seasons, finishing with more than 8,300 passing yards. He threw 47 touchdowns to 54 interceptions and was waived in 1998.
Raghib Ismail
“Rocket” Ismail came to Carolina from the Raiders in 1995 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. He played three years for the team, breaking out in his last year, 1998, with 69 catches, 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns.
J.J. Jansen
The longest-tenured Panthers player, who will enter his 14th season as the starting long snapper this fall, was acquired for relatively cheap. In 2009, Carolina traded an undisclosed 2009 draft pick to the Packers
The Panthers re-signed Jansen to a one-year contract in February.
Greg Olsen
The Chicago Bears traded the tight end to the Queen City in 2011, and Olsen spent the next nine years of his career in Carolina.
From 2014-2016, Olsen became one of the league’s best tight ends, breaking the 1,000-yards-receiving threshold all three years and making three Pro Bowl teams. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2015 and 2016.
Jeremy Chinn
The Panthers moved up in the 2020 draft to get the safety out of Southern Illinois at No. 64 overall, giving up a third and fifth-round pick to do so.
Chinn was named to the 2020 PFWA All-Rookie team and has started 31 games in his first two seasons.
Sam Darnold
Ahead of the 2021 NFL draft, the Panthers traded a 2022 second-round pick, a 2021 sixth-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick to the Jets for Darnold.
Darnold, who was the No. 3 overall selection by the Jets in 2018, had a difficult first season in Carolina. He played just 12 games and threw nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The Panthers picked up his fifth-year option shortly after trading for him, guaranteeing him $18.9 million this season, meaning if Mayfield wins the quarterback competition in training camp, Darnold will be the NFL’s highest-paid backup.
Baker Mayfield
Mayfield, who a league source told The Observer passed his physical Thursday, comes to Carolina after a tumultuous run in Cleveland. He’s likely to become the Panthers’ starting quarterback this fall and only cost a conditional 2024 fifth-round draft pick. (Which could turn into a fourth-round pick should he play 70 percent of offensive snaps this season.)
This story was originally published July 8, 2022 at 9:46 AM.
