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'But right now all that matters is me continuing to improve until the regular season starts.'īrowns coach Kevin Stefanski didn't know Mayfield had been selected as Carolina's starter until being informed by a reporter. It will,' Mayfield said of the season opener against the Browns. 'Obviously there is a lot of attachment there and I'm not going to sit here and be a robot and say that it doesn't mean anything. 1 overall pick in 2018 did nothing to lose it, regularly outperforming Darnold at practice and impressing coaches with how quickly he picked up coordinator Ben McAdoo's offense.Ĭarolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and head coach Matt Rhule on the field prior to a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots on FridayĬleveland's pursuit of Watson essentially marked the end of Mayfield's career in Cleveland. It always felt as if it was Mayfield's job to lose.Īnd the No. Panthers coach Matt Rhule billed the Mayfield-Darnold battle as an 'open competition' heading into training camp, but it never felt that way even as the two QBs split reps on a daily basis. When that fell through they drafted quarterback Matt Corral from Ole Miss in the third round and turned their attention to Mayfield, eventually landing the disgruntled quarterback after the Browns agreed to eat $10.5 million of his contract.
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For now, Darnold said he's not focused on what the future holds - he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season - and his main roles are to support Mayfield while also being ready to play if his name is calledīehind the backing of owner David Tepper, the Panthers made a strong push to acquire QB Deshaun Watson in the offseason.