Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Baker Mayfield is expected to miss a few weeks of action due to a high-ankle sprain, several outlets reported Monday.
Mayfield left the Panthers game Sunday with a walking boot over his left foot following Carolina’s 37-15 beat down from the San Francisco 49ers. The loss puts Mayfield and his Panthers to 1-4 for the season.
On Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport tweeted that Mayfield had undergone X-Rays on his injured left ankle that showed no structural damage. Rapoport tweeted at around 10 a.m. that Mayfield planned to undergo an MRI later Monday to understand the full extent of his injury, but as of press time, the results of that MRI remain unreported.
#Panthers QB Baker Mayfield had X-Rays on his foot following the game and they were negative. He’ll have an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury after leaving yesterday in a walking boot.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2022
The news of Mayfield missing time to recover from the injury broke the same day the Panthers announced the firing of their head coach, Matt Rhule.
By the time Mayfield returns, he will be on his fifth head coach since he joined the league in 2018.
You’d imagine that, as an active player, Mayfield will have at least one more crack at playing, considering how unstable the Browns and Panthers are. Having five coaches in a four-year time frame is a little crazy at a professional level. (RELATED: The Carolina Panthers fire Matt Rhule After Only Five Weeks)
With that said, you can’t just blame the coaching staff. A lot of the Panthers misery right now could be placed squarely on Mayfield’s shoulders. The Panthers have the fewest total yards of any NFL team this season, according to ESPN. The team is also currently ranked last in the NFC South. Mayfield has been as atrocious as the teams he’s played for.
If he were to drop the ball on his next opportunity (if such an opportunity even presents itself), his career is done for.