Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme reacts to Baker Mayfield trade

Jake Delhomme knows a thing or two about quarterbacking the Carolina Panthers to success.

During his NFL career, Delhomme brought the Panthers to the pinnacle of the NFL world — Super Bowl XXXVIII. While he ran into a certain upstart quarterback named Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, his time in Carolina is still highly regarded.

Over recent seasons, the Panthers haven’t been able to find their current-day Delhomme, searching far and wide for a franchise quarterback. However, the team made waves earlier this week, trading for disgruntled Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Evidently, Delhomme couldn’t be more excited to have Mayfield in Carolina, and can’t wait to see him and incumbent starting quarterback Sam Darnold compete for the starting gig.

“Let’s go,” Delhomme said, via the team website. “These two are going to get on the field and compete, and may the best man win.”

In Delhomme’s mind, bringing in Mayfield made too much sense, especially for the price of the former first overall pick.

“The biggest thing with Baker when you watch him is how accurate he is with the ball,” Delhomme said. “And when he cuts it loose, he’s got some thump on the ball.

“And to get that for what, a fifth-round pick in two years and it doesn’t cost that much money, that’s a no-brainer.”

Moreover, there’s a lot Mayfield can do to improve the Panthers, but the former Carolina great believes the competitiveness of the former Oklahoma star could be beneficial.

“I mean, Baker’s got that moxie,” Delhomme said. “I love the competitive fire he’s shown out there, and I think Carolina can benefit from that.”

As you can see, Jake Delhomme is fired up about Baker Mayfield joining the Panthers. Now, it’s up to the former Browns quarterback to rehabilitate his NFL career in Carolina.

More on Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers

After multiple drama-filled months, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke the news that the Cleveland Browns were trading the former Oklahoma star to the NFC franchise.

“A new QB in Carolina: The #Panthers are acquiring former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield from the #Browns for a 2024 conditional 5th-round draft pick, sources tell me and @TomPelissero,” tweeted Rapoport. “Deal is pending a physical. All parties split the financials to make it happen.

“After months of speculation and months of work for all parties, Baker Mayfield is now a Panther. And Jacoby Brissett is now the #Browns solution for a Deshaun Watson absence.”

Additionally, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported the financials that helped make the deal work.

“The #Browns will pay Baker Mayfield $10.5 million this season, which means they trimmed over $8 million in cash and salary-cap space,” tweeted Garafolo. “The #Panthers will pay Mayfield ~$5 million. Mayfield agreed to trim ~$3.5 million off his base salary.”

Moreover, Mayfield won’t have to wait long for his revenge — the Browns play the Panthers in Carolina Week 1 of the NFL season. The storylines write themselves, as the motivated Mayfield will be looking to prove his former team wrong.