"Me and Baker are cool. We're going to be able to compete and have fun with it. But at the end of the day, this is a business."
Sam Darnold reveals thoughts on Baker Mayfield ahead of QB competition
Sep 23, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold (14) calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
After trading for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield last month, the Carolina Panthers have been expected to have an open competition between Mayfield and returning quarterback Sam Darnold to determine its starter.
The competition between the two former first-round picks will undoubtedly be fierce, but that doesn’t mean the two quarterbacks aren’t friendly with each other, especially off the field.
“Me and Baker are cool,” Darnold told NFL.com of their relationship. “We’re going to be able to compete and have fun with it. But at the end of the day, this is a business, and we both take our craft and what we do very seriously. So it’s going to be very serious when it’s time to compete. But off the field and all that stuff, me and Baker are really cool.”
Still, just because the two are cordial off the field doesn’t mean there isn’t still a competition going on. And both of them plan to be the team’s starter this fall.
“It’s always fun to compete and to be able to have someone to compete with,” Darnold said. “At the same time, in our eyes, we’re both the starting quarterback for this team right now, and that’s how we’re going to view it.”
As for how the team’s starting quarterback will be determined, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said he’s going to let the players determine that with their level of play.
“To me, my job is not to pick the starting quarterback,” Rhule said Monday, according to NFL.com. “The players will do that with the way they play. My job is to make sure that we have really good players in the room, which we do, and make sure that they have opportunities. So it’ll be a fun ride and when we know we’ll know.”
[NFL.com]
