The Carolina Panthers' season in 2025 will depend on whether they can beat a quarterback they released three years ago.
Twice in the final three weeks, the Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield. They enter Week 16 both at 7-7, tied atop the NFC South Division.
Mayfield was once a Panther.
But his time in Carolina didn't last nearly as long as expected.
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Why did the Panthers cut Baker Mayfield?
The Browns traded Mayfield to the Panthers on July 6, 2022, for a fifth-round pick.
Mayfield earned the Week 1 starting job over Sam Darnold, but by December, he wasn't QB1 anymore.
On Dec. 5, 2022, Mayfield was granted a release by the Panthers, which Mayfield had requested.
Carolina had benched Mayfield for Darnold, and the trend line of Mayfield's career suggested that he may simply have been a bust. The Panthers didn't see a reason to keep him around.
On Dec. 6, the Rams claimed him off waivers, and two days later, he was inserted on their second offensive series against the Raiders. They struggled most of the game, trailing 16-3 midway through the fourth quarter, but Mayfield led the Rams all the way back and culminated it with a 98-yard TD drive.
Mayfield parlayed that into a prove-it contract to replace Tom Brady with the Buccaneers, and he's been the starter there ever since.
The Bucs have made the playoffs in both of Mayfield's completed seasons so far, and in 2024, he threw 41 touchdowns.
It hasn't worked out great for Carolina. The Panthers took Bryce Young No. 1 overall in 2023 and are trying to let him lead them to the playoffs instead.
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