The Carolina Panthers have announced that Baker Mayfield will be their starting quarterback for week one of the NFL regular season.
Carolina Panthers name Baker Mayfield as starting QB for Week 1 vs. Cleveland Browns – via @ESPN App https://t.co/TdZqjG2fI2
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) August 22, 2022
Since Baker Mayfield was dealt to the Panthers over the summer, Mayfield and Sam Darnold had been vying for the starting quarterback position for Carolina in training camp. This was one of the more interesting quarterback battles in recent memory, considering the fact that both players were selected within the top three in the 2018 NFL Draft. Darnold fizzled out with the New York Jets while Mayfield was winning playoff games for the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield, three years into his professional football career, guided the Cleveland Browns to their first playoff win in over two decades with a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in January of 2021. After Darnold went 3rd overall in the 2018 draft, he went a poor 13-25 as a starter for New York and threw for a terrible nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his first season a year ago with the Panthers, according to Pro Football Reference. (RELATED: NFL, NFLPA Agree To Suspend Deshaun Watson For 11 Games And Fine Him $5 Million)
The time for Baker Mayfield to be a starter is now. Darnold may still have a formidable and successful career as an NFL quarterback but it appears that Carolina head coach Matt Rhule trusts his chances more with Mayfield leading the way for them as opposed to Sam Darnold. This decision may pay off for Rhule’s squad in a major way.
The sky is the limit for Carolina now. It will be fun watching Mayfield go into battle in week one of the regular season against his old team, the Cleveland Browns, to begin his career as a Panther.