Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield or a different veteran: What’s next for Panthers at QB?

Panthers coach Matt Rhule has not eliminated the possibility of adding a quarterback to compete with incumbent starter Sam Darnold.

Since the NFL Scouting Combine, Carolina has remained consistent about its interest in acquiring a veteran. The targets keep changing. Deshaun Watson was the apple of owner David Tepper’s eye for nearly two years before the embattled quarterback chose Cleveland. The idea of Russell Wilson sounded great but was never a serious possibility.

Established stars like Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr stayed with their respective teams. By the draft, the Browns’ Baker Mayfield and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo were the best remaining options for Carolina. But both come with their own problematic baggage.

“It’s great to go with the young guy. You want to draft one, develop them and make them your own. There’s cost-effectiveness that involved with that too,” general manager Scott Fitterer said before the draft. “Why are some (veteran) quarterbacks available that are out on the market? You have to ask yourself that too.”

Carolina did draft a young quarterback, selecting Matt Corral at No. 94. But Carolina is still entertaining adding a veteran quarterback, too.

Before picking Corral, Carolina entertained a trade for Mayfield during the draft. Discussions stalled when Cleveland refused to pay a large majority of Mayfield’s 2022 salary. Like Darnold, Mayfield is playing on a fully guaranteed $18.9 million fifth-year option. The Panthers are only willing to pay about $5 million of Mayfield’s contract, leaving about $14 million in dead money for Cleveland.

Some Panthers staffers like Mayfield. Others in the building prefer Garoppolo.

Garoppolo’s detractors worry about his injury history and overall health. The 30-year-old quarterback is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. On March 8, Garoppolo had a successful procedure on his right throwing shoulder which will prevent him from throwing a football for up to 16 weeks.

Garoppolo should be ready to throw by training camp but his health continues to stall trade talks. On Wednesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Garoppolo to be traded before training camps begin but nothing is certain.

Even if Garoppolo is healthy by training camp, there is a likelihood he’d become injured again in 2022 considering he has missed 35 games over his five-year stint in San Francisco, including two games last year that were unrelated to his offseason shoulder surgery. Garoppolo dealt with ankle, calf and thumb injuries all year before hurting his shoulder in the playoffs.

What good is trading for a quarterback who isn’t routinely available? In contrast, Mayfield has missed only two starts over the past two seasons. He played the majority of 2021 with a torn left labrum he suffered in Week 2.

Yet, most evaluators prefer Garoppolo to Mayfield when asked.

“I like Garoppolo. I think he’s become somewhat underrated. He’s been productive,” former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum told The Charlotte Observer. “That’s the guy I would go after. If they can get him then I think they’ve improved themselves at the position.”

Garoppolo has a career completion percentage of 68% while Mayfield completes 61% of his passes. They have nearly identical touchdown and interception percentages around 4.6% and 2.8%, respectively. Garoppolo’s career yards per attempt (8.4) is more than a yard greater than Mayfield’s 7.3 yards-per-attempt average.

One NFC scout told The Observer it would benefit Carolina if the team took a long-term approach with Garoppolo rather than viewing him as a one-year replacement. The team could trade for him, extend his contract and lower his cap number as a result. If he plays well then Carolina would have him on a team-friendly deal through 2023 while Corral develops.

Are there any realistic veteran options available besides Mayfield or Garoppolo? Ryan Fitzpatrick remains an unrestricted free agent. He was Washington’s 2021 Week 1 starter and took just 16 snaps before suffering a season-ending hip injury.

Fitzpatrick, a 17-year veteran, may want more money than Carolina would be willing to spend and does not fit inside Panthers’ plans, a former NFL GM told The Observer.

“No, not anymore, the former GM said of Fitzpatrick landing in Carolina. “He’s a good guy and all but they need to give the reps to Sam (Darnold) and Matt (Corral).”

If not Garoppolo, Mayfield or Fitzpatrick then who? Nick Foles was an option but not a priority for the Panthers. He was traded to the Colts last week, locking him in with Indianapolis this season. Cam Newton remains available. But as The Observer reported, he would not enter camp as the starter and would have to agree to a smaller salary.

A trade for either Mayfield or Garoppolo would be more likely after June 1. June 2 remains a significant date on the NFL calendar because of the change in salary cap implications. Only the current year’s bonuses count toward the cap when players are released or traded after June 1. For example, if traded or cut before June 1, Robbie Anderson would cost $19 million in dead money, making him impossible to move. But after June 1, the Panthers only would carry about $9 million in dead one from an Anderson trade.

June 2 is the next potential wave of player movement. If nothing with Mayfield or Garoppolo happens that week then expect this to drag into training camp. However, a quarterback coming into a new team would benefit from learning the offense as soon as possible. Ideally, Carolina has a veteran quarterback in place by June 14, the start of mandatory minicamp.

Until Carolina makes a move, Darnold will keep taking first-team reps at OTAs, which continue through the next two weeks.