There shouldn’t be many people in the NFL more equipped to answer questions about Baker Mayfield than Carolina Panthers guard Austin Corbett. So, naturally, he answered some questions about Baker Mayfield.
Corbett, who spent about two seasons protecting the hide of his fellow 2018 Cleveland Browns draftee, was hosted by SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday following Carolina’s trade for the fifth-year passer. When asked about his new (and old) teammate, he had nothing but praise for Baker’s competitiveness.
“Yeah, ya know, it’s pretty exciting,” Corbett said. “Coming into the league together in 2018—had a good relationship then. It’s exciting. I mean, he’s just a fiery competitor. He’s been through some stuff. As I can attest, a fresh start somewhere else can do well for you. So it’s exciting to get him in and it’ll be fun to watch him work.”
Austin’s escape from Cleveland came a bit earlier, when he was shipped off to the Los Angeles Rams for, wouldn’t ya know it, a fifth-round pick in 2019. He would go on to thrive in his new digs, become a Super Bowl champion this past season and earn himself some decent dough from the Panthers a few months ago.
Now, Corbett is hoping a change of scenery also does wonders for Mayfield—who just wants to win.
“Everything he [Mayfield] does, he’s all about winning,” he added. “He wants to win in every aspect of life. To get him into a room and just feel that competition with all the other guys, that’s definitely just gonna raise the level of performance as a team overall.”
For better or for worse, Mayfield will certainly add something to this team in 2022. But the Panthers, and specifically head coach Matt Rhule, are hoping it’s mostly W’s.
