Despite recently acquiring former No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield, the Panthers still plan to hold an “open competition” for their starting quarterback position this fall, general manager Scott Fitterer said Tuesday.
“The reason why we added Baker was to make the group better as a whole,” Fitterer said in a press conference. “Our whole philosophy is to add competition not just in the quarterback room but every position. So if we see an opportunity to get better, where we can add a player that makes sense for us as a team, makes sense for us financially, makes sense for us just from an addition standpoint, we’re going to do that. And with Baker being out there, having the conversations, it made sense for us.”
Prior to landing Mayfield in a deal with the Browns last Wednesday, the Panthers already had Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, and Matt Corral on the roster. Darnold and Walker both saw action last season in Carolina before the team selected Corral out of Ole Miss in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.
“Sam really had a nice spring for us, stepped up, showed a lot of edge, threw the ball really well,” Fitterer said. “And I think competition would be good for him, would be good for P.J., it’s good for Matt Corral—the young guy that’s going to be in the room learning. And it’s good for Baker. It’s a fresh start for him.
“So I think overall, it’s a very healthy situation for us all to be in.”
Darnold served as the Panthers starter for the majority of the 2021 campaign, but struggled to stay consistent after a hot start. He finished the year with 2,527 passing yards along with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 games.
Despite his ups and downs, Darnold still figures to be Mayfield’s biggest competition for the starting spot this fall. Both players were selected in the first three picks of the 2018 draft, with Mayfield being taken by the Browns with the No. 1 pick and Darnold landing on the Jets at the No. 3 slot.
Though the two could’ve developed into rivals after being drafted in such close proximity, Mayfield already acknowledged that two players have spoken since the trade went down.
“Sam reached out, got my number first,” Mayfield told Panthers.com. “We’ve been talking about how to get the guys together the last minute before camp. It’s been great. Sam just wants to win. That’s just who he is. Our personalities might be different, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the same goal, and that’s to win and help this team out.
“I’m really looking forward to being in that room with him and just challenging each other, and elevating each other,” he added.
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