The Los Angeles Rams released their punter, Johnny Hekker, and he will punt the ball for the Carolina Panthers in 2022. It would be hard for the Rams fans to see him rocking a new uniform. Not just that, he won’t be wearing No. 6 anymore. So, the stud punter will be seen in a new avatar this season. What led to Hekker giving up the jersey number he wore in his last ten seasons?

Carolina Panthers traded QB Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield has worn the No. 6 uniform since his college days. He made a deal with the veteran punter for his No. 6 jersey. The details of the deal are unknown, but Hekker would definitely make something out of it.

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Panthers introduced Mayfield to the press, where he was asked what jersey number he will wear this season. Mayfield said, “I guess it’s time to break the news. I made a deal and did my own negotiating with Johnny [Hekker]. Obviously, when it comes to a 4-time All-Pro, [I] had to ask permission. [He] was willing to make those sacrifices.”

The number 6 symbolizes the journey of Baker Mayfield from his college days to being the no. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Now, as he joins the Panthers, his lucky number stays with him, and he is incredibly thankful to Hekker who sacrificed his Jersey number for him.

Baker Mayfield took a significant pay cut to help the Browns make the Panthers deal

Mayfield, while speaking about the importance of the number six, said, “Six is special to me, not because it was ever my favorite number. It was the number I was given as a walk-on at Texas Tech, and when I transferred, the people at Oklahoma thought it was my favorite number, so they just gave it to me again. It’s just stuck with me.”

Baker Mayfield, after having a shoulder injury in the last season, delayed his surgery. He was hoping to take the Browns to the Playoffs. Well, Cleveland did not make it to the playoffs, and his injury and $18.8 million salaries became the reason for his trade delay. 

The Panthers and Seahawks were two teams interested in the race to acquire Mayfield. Panthers will pay Mayfield $5 million, and the Browns have agreed to pay $10.5 million of his base salary. He would not be getting the remaining $3.5 million, as Mayfield agreed to a pay cut to make his trade possible.

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