Everything you have seen for the past week on Panthers Twitter is “Baker to Carolina” tweets. But does it solve anything? Does it make sense? What should the Panthers do?

After the Cleveland Browns snagged Deshaun Watson out of nowhere, they have to figure out what to do with their former number one overall pick. He’s due roughly $18 million for next year, and clearly, no team is willing to give up anything to take on that money except one team, yep, you guessed it! The Carolina Panthers! The team that has made colossal mistakes with quarterbacks since waiving Cam Newton is back at it again.

Back to the original question, does it solve anything for Carolina to bring in Baker? Short answer, no. It’s like if you had a bumper hanging off your car, but you decide you can fix it yourself instead of just biting the bullet by getting it replaced. First, you try to Gorilla Glue it back together, hoping it works, and it works for a little bit, but then it comes off to worsen the problem, and that’s Teddy Bridgewater. Next, you think you have this fantastic idea because you saw an infomercial on NBAtv for Flex Seal, and now you’re at Walmart (aka the Jets) thinking you’re a genius. You use the flex seal, and it works for a little bit, but it falls off again, and now the bumper is destroyed with flex seal, and gorilla glue smothered on it; that’s Sam Darnold. Finally, you would think you would learn from your mistakes…

You say screw it; it will look ugly, but I know it’ll work a little longer than the final solution; let’s throw duct tape on this bumper, and that’s Baker Mayfield. It will work a little longer than the last two options (which means 7-10), but it will never fully fix your problem. The Panthers continually keep chasing after these cheap fixes that keep making the issues worse, and Baker is just another example of that. Baker does not take you to that next step, he could bring you a little further along, but he’s not the answer.

What Should the Panthers Do?

There are two clear storylines right now with the Panthers. First, this is not a great quarterback draft, and there should be no need to force yet another subpar quarterback. The Panthers may take Pickett at six overall, which feels like a reach. If Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu are on the board, you have to draft them; they are going to be pro bowlers in the NFL. I think the Panthers should improve the offensive line and other holes in this team before focusing on a quarterback. I don’t feel comfortable with a new franchise quarterback being coached by someone who inevitably will be gone by the 2023 season. That leads to the second storyline; Todd McShay had this to say on Ryen Russillo’s podcast last week.

Why would you let Matt Rhule make another catastrophic error at the quarterback position if this is the case? I understand it may be difficult with how large Rhule’s buyout is, but if the beginning of next season goes sideways, you have to cut ties immediately. The Panthers would be first in line in choosing the right coach and hopefully change the trajectory of the franchise.

The Carolina Panthers are in a critical spot where fan excitement is at an all-time low, and every game has more opposing team fans than Panthers fans. Picking up these mid-tier quarterbacks is not the answer; it only prolongs the problem.

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