Panthers QBs Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold In “Open” Competition

As many expected, the Panthers finalized a trade sending Baker Mayfield to Carolina last week. The former No. 1 pick is expected to represent an upgrade over last year’s top quarterback, but he could be named the starter only after the remainder of the offseason. 

In a press conference, general manager Scott Fitterer announced that Mayfield and Sam Darnold will take part in an “open competition,” as detailed by Joe Person and Larry Holder of The Athletic. Fitterer further described the circumstances now surrounding the team’s QB room as being “a very healthy situation.”

The Panthers were consistently linked to Mayfield this offseason, in large part due to Darnold’s struggles in his first year in Charlotte. The 25-year-old put together a 4-7 record, completing less than 60% of his passes and throwing more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (nine). Mayfield struggled last season as well during an injured-plagued campaign, but if healthy, he would profile as having more upside given some of his past performances in Cleveland.

Nevertheless, Person tweets that Fitterer expects the snaps during training camp to be split in a “fairly even” manner. Part of the reason for that could of course be Mayfield’s late arrival; the Panthers wanted to get the trade done before minicamp. To that point, Person adds that the team set an internal deadline of July 5 to finalize the swap (Twitter link). Mayfield will be playing catch-up relative to Darnold especially in the early stages of camp, but he has already begun preparing himself for the competition to win out the starting job.

“I want to be a starter, I want to be a franchise-level quarterback for years, and hopefully, it’s here in Charlotte,” he said, via the team’s website“And I want a level playing field, and I want to elevate the guys around me and be the best version of myself… I know it’s not going to be easy by any means, I’ve got to go earn it, but I’m looking forward to the competition and the challenge.”

When camp opens up later this month, this positional battle could be one of the Panthers’ top storylines to watch.

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