The Panthers brought the Baker Mayfield era to an abrupt end on the Monday following their bye week.
Carolina announced that it had released Mayfield, who began the season as the team's starting quarterback, 13 weeks into the 2022 NFL season.
The Panthers acquired Mayfield on July 6 from the Browns in exchange for a conditional 2024 draft pick. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft had asked for a trade after the Browns became involved in — and ultimately won — the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes.
While Carolina hoped that Mayfield would end its long stint in quarterback purgatory, his brief stint with the team did not work out. That's why the team has opted to end his trial run early, just six months after it initially acquired him.
But why exactly are the Panthers releasing Mayfield now? There were a litany of factors that went into the team's decision.
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Why did the Panthers release Baker Mayfield?
The Panthers released Mayfield, in part, because he asked to be released. ESPN's David Newton reports that "multiple sources" told him that Mayfield requested his release as he looks for another opportunity to prove himself.
Newton noted that the opening of several quarterback jobs due to injury, including that of the 49ers, may have prompted Mayfield's request.
Meanwhile, the Panthers were happy to grant Mayfield's release. The team had dropped him to No. 3 on the depth chart for its Week 12 win over the Broncos, and Carolina planned to play Sam Darnold and PJ Walker at quarterback the rest of the way.
So, the Panthers no longer needed Mayfield. And by releasing him, they can try to save a bit of money, as any team that claims him off waivers would take on the remaining $1.35 million in guarantees Mayfield is owed for 2022, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
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Even if the Panthers end up on the hook for Mayfield's remaining salary, they still can benefit from his release. How? Well, it guarantees that the conditional pick sent to the Browns will remain a fifth-round pick and not become a fourth-round pick.
Mayfield needed to play 70 percent of the snaps for the Panthers in order for that to happen. As such, it was never likely to convey once he was initially benched. Still, the release guarantees the Carolina security and takes away the temptation to put Mayfield back into the lineup should Darnold or Walker get hurt.
Of course, most important of all was the fact that Mayfield struggled immensely playing for the Panthers. The 27-year-old led the team to a 1-5 record in six starts while completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions.
Mayfield's completion percentage and passer rating of 74.4 rank second-worst in the NFL among 33 qualified passers. Only the Jets' Zach Wilson was worse in each category.
Those stats only helped to reinforce the Panthers' decision as they once again head for a fresh start at quarterback.
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Panthers QB depth chart
With Mayfield now gone, the Panthers have just two healthy quarterbacks in their organization. They are as follows:
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Sam Darnold |
| 2 | PJ Walker |
Darnold will continue to start for the team in Week 14, but Walker could relieve him if the former Jet encounters any problems.
The Panthers could explore adding a third quarterback to the fold to provide depth behind Darnold and Walker. They could do so via a short-term practice squad signing.
Carolina also has rookie Matt Corral on IR. He is out for the season because of a Lisfranc injury.
