The Carolina Panthers' 2025 season is coming down to a familiar face - one they let walk just three years ago.
Twice in the final three weeks, the Panthers will line up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield, the same Mayfield they released back in 2022. Both teams enter Week 16 sitting at 7-7, deadlocked atop the NFC South. And with the division still wide open, these matchups are more than just a reunion - they’re a proving ground.
Let’s rewind for a moment.
Back in July 2022, the Panthers acquired Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick. At the time, it was seen as a low-risk move for a team still trying to find its identity under center.
Mayfield won the starting job over Sam Darnold and opened the season as QB1. But things unraveled quickly.
By December, he was benched, and just like that, his stint in Carolina was over.
On December 5, 2022, Mayfield requested and was granted his release. The Panthers, having already turned back to Darnold, didn’t see a future with the former No. 1 pick. Given how his career had been trending, it wasn’t a shocking move - but it was a decisive one.
Then came the twist.
The very next day, the Los Angeles Rams scooped Mayfield off waivers. Just two days later, he was under center in a Thursday night game against the Raiders.
What followed was one of the more improbable comebacks in recent NFL memory. Mayfield entered early in the game, and despite the offense sputtering for most of the night, he led a 98-yard game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
It was vintage Baker - gutsy, chaotic, and electric.
That performance didn’t just win him a game. It earned him a second chance.
In the offseason, Mayfield signed a prove-it deal with Tampa Bay, stepping into the enormous shoes left behind by Tom Brady. Since then, he’s made the job his own. The Bucs have reached the playoffs in each of his two full seasons at the helm, and in 2024, he racked up 41 touchdown passes - a career high and a clear statement that he’s far from done.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are still searching for their guy. After taking Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, Carolina has committed to developing the young quarterback into a franchise cornerstone.
But it’s been a bumpy ride. While there have been flashes of promise, the consistency just hasn’t been there yet.
And now, as the playoff race heats up, the Panthers find themselves staring down the quarterback they once gave up on - not once, but twice in three weeks.
There’s no shortage of storylines here. Mayfield has a chance to deal a serious blow to the team that cut him loose. The Panthers, on the other hand, are fighting to prove they made the right call - that Bryce Young is the future, and that Mayfield was just a chapter they had to close.
But make no mistake: these aren’t just revenge games or quarterback narratives. These are must-win matchups with playoff stakes, and both teams know it. The NFC South is still up for grabs, and Baker Mayfield - the quarterback Carolina once let go - might be the biggest obstacle standing in the Panthers’ way.