Report: Carolina Panthers still open to acquiring Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo

The Carolina Panthers appear to have their quarterback of the future after landing Matt Corral in the 2022 NFL Draft.

However, the organization is reportedly still looking to acquire a veteran quarterback. Carolina is seemingly monitoring the viability of acquiring the Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield and San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo.

“The door is open slightly for [Corral] to potentially take the job because the Panthers are still essentially looking for veteran quarterback help,” stated ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on SportsCenter on Sunday. “They would like somebody else; that’s why the Baker Mayfield situation, Jimmy Garoppolo might not be completely dead at this point. And so it certainly seems [Sam Darnold] is the favorite to start. They know Matt Corral is a bit of a project, a little like Malik Willis, because of the offense he came from in Ole Miss. He’s going to need some time to learn the nuances of the NFL game, but they love the talent. So, he could at least make this interesting for sure.”

The Panthers have not had a winning season since 2017. In that campaign, they still had Cam Newton manning the quarterback position. The team also reached the postseason that year, losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round.

Carolina is still looking for a signal-caller who can lead the team to the promised land once more. In the 2015 season, Newton led the Panthers to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Denver Broncos.

It seems that Carolina is not ready to start Corral immediately, which is possibly why it is still apparently interested in adding a proven quarterback.

Mayfield has had a solid career thus far. He helped the Browns reach the playoffs in the 2020 season. But with the team acquiring Deshaun Watson in the offseason, Mayfield has become expendable in Cleveland.

As for Garoppolo, he began his NFL career playing behind legendary quarterback Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. The Eastern Illinois University product got an opportunity to prove himself after he was traded to the 49ers during the 2017 season.

He helped lead San Francisco to the playoffs in the 2019 and 2021 seasons. But his time as the 49ers’ starting quarterback might have come to an end, as the organization recently stated that the team will start Trey Lance at quarterback “sooner than later.”