New Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons heading into the veteran’s Week 1 game against his former Cleveland Browns squad.
Buffalo Bills sideline reporter Cynthia Frelund recently indicated that Mayfield told her that he was going to “f**k them up” during a recent preseason game in relation to the quarterback opening his Panthers career up against Cleveland.
Well, Mayfield was quick to deny that he said that in speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
“First, I didn’t say it. Obviously, everybody is going to write whatever story they want. There’s history. I played there that past four years. I am an extremely competitive person. Everybody knows that. If I wasn’t wanting to win, then there would be really big issue.”
Carolina Panthers’ Baker Mayfield on recent drama
It’s not like we need more storylines heading into this season opener. By now, you likely know how Mayfield’s career ended with the Browns. In the midst of Cleveland flirting with a trade for Deshaun Watson, the former No. 1 pick requested a trade from the team.
Once that blockbuster went down, Mayfield remained away from off-season activities until Carolina made a move for him earlier this summer. He was almost immediately named the starting quarterback over Sam Darnold and will be under center Week 1 against the Browns in Carolina.
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Myles Garrett responds to Baker Mayfield’s “comments”
Immediately after reports of Mayfield’s comments became public record, his former teammate with the Browns, Myles Garrett, had a response. He played more the role of a diplomat.
“We’ll take it and we’ll use it, and I’m hoping for a great matchup. I don’t think any less of him because he’s going out there and doing the same thing he did when he was with us. He’s the same guy personally, and maybe we’ll see a different Baker when we get on the field. Who knows?”
Myles Garrett on Baker Mayfield
This wasn’t always the case as Garrett had in the past opened up about how he wants to sack Mayfield and make his presence known on the field come September 11.
What we do know is that this drama has been boiling over since the 2021 campaign. Mayfield dealt with numerous injuries en route to the Browns putting up a disastrous performance despite the quarterback leading them to a rare playoff appearance the previous season. Once Mayfield was traded, leaks came out of the Browns’ organization painting him in a bad light.
- Baker Mayfield stats (2018-21): 62% completion, 14,125 yards, 92 TD, 56 INT, 87.8 QB rating
Mayfield played well in limited preseason action with the Panthers leading up to their opener against Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Browns will start Jacoby Brissett under center with Waton suspended 11 games. This acts as another backdrop to what should be an appealing Week 1 game for the masses.