CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Baker Mayfield insists this is not a «redemption year,'' but he will make his first start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers against the team that gave up on him.
The Panthers on Monday named Mayfield the starter for the Sept. 11 opener against the Cleveland Browns, who moved on from the first pick of the 2018 draft after trading with the Houston Texans for Deshaun Watson.
Watson will not play in the opener after being suspended by the NFL for the first 11 games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, so it will be Mayfield against Jacoby Brissett.
Mayfield won what the Panthers described as an open competition against 2021 starter Sam Darnold, although league sources said the job was his to lose all along. »When we started the process, we said we were looking at three things,'' coach Matt Rhule said. «No.