Carolina Panthers name Baker Mayfield as starting QB for Week 1 vs. Cleveland Browns

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. 1, mastery of the offense; No. 2, situational football excellence; and No. 3, moving the ball and getting guys involved.

»Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time.''

Mayfield said last week during joint practices against the New England Patriots that he wasn't worried about when the decision would be made.

«I've said it before, the locker room and the organization is going to go as the QB room goes, and as long as we're leading correctly and we're supporting each other, good things are going to happen,'' Mayfield said. „So we're not worried about when that's going to happen, just trying to get better each day.''

Mayfield never lost confidence after Cleveland gave up on him.

“It's not a redemption year,'' he said. „I know what I'm capable of. I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody else. I'm just trying to lead this locker