Panthers name starting quarterback
The race for the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback job has come to an end.
This Monday, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule announced that Baker Mayfield will be the starting quarterback for the Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns.
“When we started this process, we were looking for three things,” Rhule stated, according to the Panthers’ official website. “Number one, offensive dominance, number two, situational soccer excellence, and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That’s been our focus all along.”
“Baker has improved a lot, he’s grown a lot in all three areas in a short amount of time.”
Mayfield was traded from the Browns to the Panthers this offseason after taking a pay cut, but also after feeling the team disrespected him when head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam traveled to Houston to meet with Deshaun Watson, who was eventually acquired as Cleveland’s new quarterback.
“I’m not going to sit here and be a robot and tell them [that game] is not one I’ve already marked on the calendar,” Mayfield stated, according to the team’s official website during his introductory press conference in July. “I’m not like that, for me it’s about winning games. Whatever we have marked on the calendar, I’m going to try to win. Obviously, this [game] has a little more history and personal significance, but for me, it’s about winning and setting the tone for the rest of the year. Any way I can help this team do that, I’m going to do it.”
Mayfield said Sam Darnold, whom he beat out in the race for the job, took the first step in getting to know each other after he was acquired by the Panthers and that the goal for both of them is the same: to win.
“Sam contacted me, got my number first,” Mayfield indicated. “We’ve been talking about getting the last-minute guys together before camp. It’s been great. Sam wants to win, that’s just the way he is. Our personalities may be different, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the same goal and that’s to win and help this team.”
Mayfield, who ended up winning the Heisman Trophy after transferring to Oklahoma, confirmed he will continue to play with the No. 6 that has been with him since he began his collegiate career at Texas Tech after reaching an agreement with clearing kicker Johnny Hekker.
In his four-year NFL career, Mayfield has completed 1,185 of 1,924 passes for 14,125 yards with 92 touchdowns and 56 interceptions – in addition to scoring five times on the ground – with a 29-30 record as a starter, with his best year coming in 2020 when he finished 11-5 and led the to the Divisional Round of the playoffs in the American Conference.
