Robby Anderson needed to type just two words on Instagram to tell people that he thinks it would be a bad idea for the Panthers to pursue Baker Mayfield.
Anderson, one can presume, has seen and heard enough to make a judgment about Mayfield's character, which is what he appeared to do Friday. The wide receiver typed "Noooo" after seeing a report by NFL Media's Ian Rapoport that Carolina is Mayfield's "most likely landing spot" now that the Browns are done with the QB. (Per Pantherswire.com). That was followed by "Facts" when someone else typed that Anderson has "ZERO" chill."
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Maybe Anderson should step back for a second and consider who has been throwing to him during his first six years in the NFL. They all might have been better teammates than what he thinks Mayfield will be, but few of them were better passers.
Anderson has played with 11 different quarterbacks since being drafted by the Jets in 2016 out Temple. None of them resembled Hall of Famers when they were his teammate.
| YEAR | TEAM | QUARTERBACKS | W-L | RATING RANK |
| 2016 | Jets | Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty | 5-11 | 32nd |
| 2017 | Jets | Josh McCown, Bryce Petty | 5-11 | 15th |
| 2018 | Jets | Sam Darnold, Josh McCown | 4-12 | 30th |
| 2019 | Jets | Sam Darnold, Trevor Siemian, Luke Falk, David Fales | 7-9 | 27th |
| 2020 | Panthers | Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker | 5-11 | 23rd |
| 2021 | Panthers | Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, P.J. Walker | 5-12 | 32nd |
Those numbers aren't all the quarterbacks' fault, of course. The offensive line, running game, defense and special teams all had a hand in them. But a 31-66 record, no playoff appearances and a season-end rating no better than 15th shows that Anderson hasn't been around difference-makers.
That's not to say Mayfield is one, but he's for sure better than Petty, Falk, Fales and Walker. And, to get to the heart of the matter, as much as Anderson may appreciate Darnold, there has been no tangible improvement in Darnold's game since he entered the league:
| YEAR | COMP% | RATING |
| 2018 | 57.7 | 77.6 |
| 2019 | 61.9 | 84.3 |
| 2020 | 59.6 | 72.7 |
| 2021 | 59.9 | 71.9 |
Here's Mayfield's four-year run with the Browns:
| YEAR | COMP% | RATING |
| 2018 | 63.8 | 93.7 |
| 2019 | 59.4 | 78.8 |
| 2020 | 62.8 | 95.9 |
| 2021 | 60.5 | 83.1 |
The Panthers have been working hard to replace Darnold this offseason. They were in on Deshaun Watson, who eventually supplanted Mayfield in Cleveland. Before that, there were rumors about Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. There have been predictions that they will choose Malik Willis with the sixth overall pick in this month's NFL Draft.
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So, Mayfield, Darnold? If it's just about ball, then Anderson should be OK with Mayfield replacing Darnold. Mayfield represents a small statistical upgrade.
But it's not just about ball. It's also about the locker room and Mayfield's inability thus far in his career to lead it. Mayfield himself said this week that he needs to earn teammates' respect wherever he plays this season. That leaves Anderson an opening to say "Noooo" to the idea.
