Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer met the media on Tuesday afternoon alongside the team’s new quarterback, Baker Mayfield. But if you were expecting Fitterer to announce Mayfield as the team’s starting quarterback, you probably came away disappointed. As Fitterer stated, “[t]his is an open competition.”
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer on whether Baker Mayfield is the starting QB: "This is an open competition."
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 12, 2022
The Panthers entered the off-season facing two glaring needs — offensive tackle and quarterback — but with minimal draft capital thanks to trades such as last season’s acquisition of Sam Darnold. The team opted to address the offensive line with their selection in the first round, adding N.C. State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu, and traded up into the third round to add quarterback Matt Corral when he slipped in the draft.
But Carolina remained linked to veteran options on the quarterback market, including Jimmy Garoppolo and Mayfield. The organization swung the trade for Mayfield, sending a conditional 2024 draft pick to the Cleveland Browns while agreeing to take on nearly $5 million of his salary. With Cleveland agreeing to pay just over $10 million of his 2022 salary, Mayfield agreed to convert the remainder into incentives to get the deal done.
Now he has to win the job, according to his new general manager.