Baker Mayfield drops hints, not bombs in Panthers presser

Baker Mayfield met with the media for the first time since joining the Carolina Panthers but didn’t say too much about his exit from the Cleveland Browns

Former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield made his first appearance in front of the media as a member of the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday and said he was excited for this new opportunity in front of him.

Mayfield who said he’s being encouraged to be himself with the Panthers had plenty of opportunities to drop some bombs on the Cleveland Browns front office, but he elected to take the high road. That doesn’t mean he said absolutely nothing since there was one telling hint in his words.

While speaking about his future, Mayfield said having “freedom” with this offense will allow him to be the best version of himself.

This comment in itself doesn’t sound like much, but it does suggest that he wasn’t feeling much autonomy with Kevin Stefanski. Of course, for anyone who has been paying attention, this shouldn’t come as a shock.

There was clear friction between the two as the 2021 season went on which surely helped in the Browns desire to look for a new signal-caller in the offseason. And as to the eventual split, Mayfield said he was shocked by the unexpected move.

Is Baker Mayfield the clear-cut starter?

Of course, the first thing Mayfield needs to take care of with his new team is winning the starting job (well, after securing the No. 6 which he already did). It was said earlier in the day that this will be an open competition between him and Sam Darnold — who Mayfield said welcomed him to Charlotte.

When the subject was brought up, Mayfield said he has a starter mentality and is already looking ahead to being the future of this franchise according to Dean Jones of Cat Crave. But just because he’s considering the future, doesn’t mean he’s looking past this season. In fact, he said he has Week 1 circled already, since he will be seeing the Browns come to Carolina.

Baker Mayfield on the fans in Cleveland

Mayfield was always great with the fans in Cleveland and he still holds them in high regard. He called it a “special sports town” with rich traditions. He even added that he wanted to film a ‘moving out’ commercial with Progressive but the idea wasn’t accepted.

The majority of Browns fans feel the same about Mayfield. He gave the team his all for four seasons and he should be wished nothing but the best. After Week 1 of this season that is.