Carolina Panthers name QB Baker Mayfield Week 1 starter

The Carolina Panthers officially have a new starting quarterback.

The Panthers announced Baker Mayfield will be their Week 1 starter against his former team, the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield beat out incumbent starter Sam Darnold for the job.

The big picture: This competition was always trending toward Mayfield coming away as the winner, even though he’s making less money than Darnold and Carolina gave up less to get him via trade.

• The Panthers traded a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick to the Browns for Mayfield this offseason. He’s set to make just a $4.858 million salary in 2022 after the Browns ate $10.5 million of his salary to facilitate the trade. Mayfield also took a paycut but can recoup that $3.5 million through incentives.

• Mayfield was in limbo for over three months from the time the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson until he was dealt to Carolina. A source said Carolina was willing to make the deal for Mayfield because he had turned into such a bargain and because he bolstered the QB room.

What the PFF grades say: Since entering the league as top-three draft picks in 2018, Mayfield has an 84.0 PFF grade to Darnold’s 60.7. Mayfield has earned an 81.5 passing grade, while Darnold has earned a 58.3 mark.

Fantasy football fallout: Mayfield is the 26th-ranked QB, according to PFF's consensus fantasy football rankings. He has QB16, QB19 and QB16 finishes in his last three healthy seasons.

• In Carolina, he has two elite passing-game options in D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey, plus a field-stretching option in Robbie Anderson.

• Mayfield is a mid-range QB2 in an offense that could pass often. He is a top-80 pick in superflex.

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Bet to Make: D.J. Moore +2500 to lead the NFL in receiving yards on betMGM.

• Mayfield is probably as good of a player as Moore has had throwing him passes.  Furthermore, this is the worst Carolina team — at least by season win total — that he’s played on, meaning the passing volume will be there. Take the longshot on Moore.

The Panthers' QB room: The Panthers also have veteran P.J. Walker on their roster. Rookie Matt Corral suffered what’s likely a season-ending lisfranc injury in Carolina’s Week 2 preseason game against the New England Patriots, head coach Matt Rhule announced after the game.