By Martin Rogers FOX Sports Columnist
Listening to Baker Mayfield, injured ankle, bruised ego, sick performance record and all notwithstanding, is like attending a seminar extolling the virtues of positive thinking.
Point out that his work is being questioned and he will challenge you and ask if you are one of the questioners. He doesn’t question anything. Trust where you are.
It feels that way because there is a lot of football left. This is how it is wired. He does not live in the past; live the moment. He will find out. He will advance.
We know these things because Mayfield himself said them last weekend, and we heard them because, as the Carolina Panthers’ first-choice quarterback, it’s his privilege and responsibility to talk after games.
How much progress do we hear and how long does his tenure last? Well, that’s up in the air right now, as the former No. 1 is in the most precarious spot of his five-season career.
“I think there’s a chance Sunday could be his last outing,” FS1’s Nick Wright said on “First Things First.” “He’s been statistically the worst QB in football this year. We’ll see how long he’s out.”
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Remember when it was thought, somewhat widely, that the Panthers had enough depth to possibly make a postseason run and that Mayfield’s brand of hustle could help them to a winning campaign? That didn’t last long, did it?
And so, after five weeks, there are only a few things we know for sure.
That Matt Rhule is no longer in charge, fired on Monday after a 1-4 that promised more failure.
That Mayfield won’t be on the field for a couple of weeks and maybe longer after suffering a high ankle sprain in a 37-15 blowout of the San Francisco 49ers. And this former XFL QB P.J. Walker will get a chance to show what he can do this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams.
Beyond that? Anyone’s guess. Sam Darnold, who also has a high ankle sprain, is rehabbing and will be an option for the new coach in short order. Rumors are starting to swirl about a possible fire sale of the team’s top talent, a feeling that the likes of running back Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore could be available for selection.
“The Panthers are open for business,” added Wright. “They don’t matter in the NFL for the rest of the season. Why they matter is because other teams could get their piece. The Panthers are the team that’s open for business and teams should be calling.”
If this is the beginning of the end for Mayfield in Carolina, where he’s on a one-year deal that’s primarily being paid by the Cleveland Browns, it’s hard to see where there would be a clean and obvious landing spot next, which is precisely why this saga has a kind of crossroads.
After being kicked out of Cleveland, the chances of a team willing to give him what he wants seem decidedly slim. It doesn’t jump off the page as a viable starting option, even for desperate teams. The starring role of effusive and optimistic leader for a brash but underpowered team is not the right fit, or at least it hasn’t been in Carolina.
Rebuilding as a quality backup somewhere doesn’t feel ideal either, in large part because Mayfield may have a hard time convincing a franchise that he’s the right guy to stay quietly in the shadows, patiently working and rooting for for another
That perhaps only leaves his ability to convince a team with solid parts but little spare cash that he’s the guy, who can provide something resembling elite play while carrying a salary that isn’t elite and allow that monetary savings be spent elsewhere. to build a strong formation.
The problem is that there are others who can make this argument more forcefully. Jimmy Garoppolo certainly comes to mind, depending on how things work out for him in San Francisco. If you were a GM in such a position next summer, would you pass on Mayfield or look to unearth a cut-price diamond in the NFL Draft?
Considering how quickly things have escalated, how does Mayfield feel about it all?
“A lot of frustration,” Mayfield told reporters. “And then, the more you think about it, angry that we didn’t play to our ability, to be honest with you. That’s the frustrating part.
“You work all week, you go out on Sundays, you have to make the plays that are there. You have to take advantage of our two-to-one and some of those plays that we have.”
Mayfield still has the character, personality and swagger of a former No. 1 pick. He has the name, the recognition. He has the ability to generate headlines, just for being Baker.
We are reaching a point where none of this is enough, not anymore.
Mayfield will not stop believing in himself and doing things his way, that is, they will be done at full speed and with total positivity.
Make others share the same belief? This is the biggest challenge now.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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