It took quite a while, but the Carolina Panthers finally decided to take the plunge on Baker Mayfield, trading for the former first overall pick for a 2024 conditional 5th-round pick.
In the grand scheme of things giving up a 5th-round pick isn’t too much of a cost for the Panthers, but many see this move as the Panthers planning to move on from Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback.
Former Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme had a different take on the matter.
He discussed the possible quarterback controversy on The Zach Gelb Show via CBS Sports Radio on Wednesday and said that he believes that Darnold has the upper hand going into training camp.
“This is late, very late in the year, and not having any familiarity with the Ben McAdoo offense, that’s a tough task,” said Delhomme. “People may not want to hear this, but Sam Darnold does have the upper hand heading into training camp.”
Delhomme did add that he believes Mayfield will be the starter when push comes to shove for Week 1, but that it will be a true quarterback battle where he will need to prove himself.
While it has been reported that there will be an “open competition” for the starting quarterback job in Carolina, many believe that Baker is clearly the favorite to win the job, otherwise the team wouldn’t have bothered trading for him in the first place.
Delhomme does have a good point that it may certainly take some time for Mayfield to adjust to this new offense in Carolina. It likely won’t matter, as we pretty much know what Darnold can do in Carolina unless he has made some significant improvements over this offseason.
While Mayfield has been up and down over his career in Cleveland, he is a new commodity in Carolina which at least gives the organization something fresh and new to work with next season.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.